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For optimum environmental results, these resource streams must
each be recycled on their own scale. Except for the demolition
and construction chain, they all need to be scaled at regional, subregional
or national levels. The voluminous residual flows of the
demolition and construction chain can be reintroduced into the
cycle at a municipal level. The others need bundling at regional,
sub-regional or even national levels to create sufficient volume
and sales potential for a profitable business case.
To help create the necessary preconditions, we, as transition
brokers, engaged other actors, mostly local governments and
companies. The main preconditions to be fulfilled were generally
the same: an appropriate collection and logistics system; a
guaranteed volume of waste; an articulated demand for the
recycled material; and the acceptance of a quality standard for the
recyclates. 42 Many initiatives could only be realised if municipal
authorities were willing to work together. After all, recycling often
requires substantial investments in advanced recycling plants,
depending on types of material flow. The private sector is certainly
interested, but businesses must have sufficient assurances
regarding the volume and quality of collected material they can
expect and its sales potential after recycling. If such certainty
cannot be offered, the collected material flows are processed and
marketed in the form of low-grade applications. Close cooperation
with municipalities was therefore key. As the local governments
joined forces in the Regional Board of Local Governments to
accelerate the circular economy. This cooperation could easily be
established. The local governments have started to coordinate the
collection and logistics of various resource streams (e.g. nappies,
non-wearable textiles, plastics and public greenery) and also
circular public procurement as commissioning party (see strategy
2).
42 Cramer, J., Key Drivers for High-Grade Recycling under Constrained
Conditions, Recycling, 2018, 3, 2, 1-16,
https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling3020016.