PUMA.Safe Environmental Handbook Volume 1 - About PUMA

4.2.3.3 Recycling
Means any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances
whether for the original or other purposes. It includes the reprocessing of organic material but does not include energy
recovery and the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or for backfilling operations.
4.2.3.4 Energy Recovery
Energy recovery from waste is the conversion of non-recyclable or reusable waste materials into useable heat, electricity,
or fuel through a variety of processes, including combustion, gasification, pyrolization, anaerobic digestion, and landfill
gas (LFG) recovery. This process is often called waste-to-energy (WTE). Waste-to-energy meets the two basic criteria for
establishing what a renewable energy resource is—its fuel source (waste) is sustainable and indigenous. Waste-toenergy
facilities recover valuable energy from waste after efforts to “Prevent, Reuse, and Recycle” have been
implemented.
4.2.3.5 Landfill & Incineration without energy recovery
If none of the above possibilities are feasible to use, the only final way for the waste treatment will be the disposal or
the incineration of the waste. Therefore, it is important to recognize that the disposal of waste to landfills can only be
seen as a temporary solution because physically it is only a movement of the waste to another place. In case landfills will
be used for the final disposal of the waste, it has to be sure that these landfills will be safeguarded to avoid any
migration of harmful substances into the ground. Incineration without energy recovery, on the other hand, is not
encouraged because it totally destroys the material removing the possibility of recovering its remaining value.
In any case, all relevant laws and regulations of the applicable country have to be followed and the disposal route of
waste must be entirely documented by official waste contracts or invoices. Following this procedure is even more
important for any hazardous waste which may be generated.
4.2.4 Waste reduction, re-use and recycling examples
Depending on the type of production there are many existing good practices on how to minimize waste to landfill or
incineration and focus on material efficiency or re-use and recycling instead:
4.2.4.1 Reduce: Increase marker efficiency to minimize cutting waste
Use of automated cutting systems to minimize cutting waste
Optimized fabric orders to minimize the amount of unused fabric
4.2.4.2 Reuse: Reuse the unused fabrics for other production
Reuse of fabric cut-outs for other purposes (smaller items or as filling for
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