From Waste to Resources: Best Practices of Circular Economy Pioneers

Edited by Valley, Jointing.Media, in Wuhan, 2024-10-21

Editor’s Note:

For those who grew up in the 1980s, buying drinks required paying a bottle deposit. Households would collect empty glass bottles and return them to neighborhood shops for refunds. Today, bottles that can’t be reused at home often end up in trash bins.

The issues of “resource crisis” and “resource security” have long concerned scientists and policymakers worldwide. Experts across disciplines—from demographics to environmental studies, social development to economics—have explored various approaches to alleviate resource scarcity, proposing concepts like sustainable development, circular economy, and resource-intensive economies.

China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment took a major step in 2019 by releasing the “Zero-Waste City” Pilot Program Implementation Plan. On September 24, 2024, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held a press conference announcing progress on the “Two New” policies, including plans to establish China Resources Recycling Group. Officials revealed that 59% of bulk solid waste nationwide is now recycled, with significant annual growth in the reuse of scrap steel, non-ferrous metals, and eight other major recyclables. Scrap steel alone now reaches 260 million tons annually.

The emergence of state-backed “recycling giants” has made headlines. On October 18, China Resources Circular Group officially launched in Tianjin, tasked with building a national platform for resource recovery and reuse.

The concept of a circular economy first emerged in the 1960s United States, while the term gained traction in China by the mid-1990s. This article examines global models of circular economies—could these pioneers offer insights for China’s path forward?

Circular Economy Models in the United States

The U.S. was one of the earliest pioneers in circular economy practices. As far back as the 1970s, it began promoting circular economy concepts and implementing energy policies focused on resource cycling.

In 1976, the U.S. enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Since the mid-1980s, states like Oregon, New Jersey, and Rhode Island introduced laws to promote resource recycling. Today, over half of all U.S. states have adopted some form of recycling legislation. Since 1997, November 15 has been designated “America Recycles Day.” After decades of development, the circular economy has become an indispensable part of the U.S. economy, spanning industries from traditional sectors (paper, steel, plastics, rubber) to emerging fields (electronics, computers, office equipment, and home goods).

The U.S., known for its strong environmentalism, emphasizes not just waste processing but also circular consumption—a concept where consumers consider whether a used item still holds value for others before discarding it. Only when an item is truly worthless is it recycled. This extends a product’s lifecycle across multiple users.

Thanks to widespread awareness and social mechanisms, circular consumption has become a key part of American life, delivering economic and social benefits comparable to traditional recycling. Common practices include:

Yard sales (community-based secondhand markets)
Thrift stores (charity or for-profit resale shops)
Online resale platforms (e.g., eBay, Craigslist, government-supported marketplaces)

In June 2019, Boston launched the U.S.’s first city-scale zero-waste plan, aiming to: Increase recycling rates from 25% to 80% by 2035 (and beyond by 2050). Focus on waste reduction, reuse, composting, and recycling innovation Implement 30 actionable strategies with clear timelines, data tracking, and funding mechanisms

The plan aligns with the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) definition:

“Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to responsibly conserve and recover all resources—without burning, dumping, or polluting land, water, or air.”

Boston employs multiple policy tools to cut greenhouse gas emissions, including:

Regulatory measures (mandatory recycling, landfill bans)
Economic incentives (tax breaks for sustainable businesses)
Voluntary programs (public awareness campaigns, corporate partnerships)

Germany’s Dual System (DSD) Model for Recycling

Germany’s circular economy evolved from the reuse and disposal of household and industrial waste, initially termed “waste economy.”

In 1972, Germany enacted its first waste management law—the Waste Disposal Act—which established that private enterprises could handle non-hazardous waste disposal, marking the beginning of regulated and legal waste management. Over time, the law underwent revisions, influenced by technological advancements and EU waste management policies, eventually evolving into the Circular Economy and Waste Management Act (1994, effective 1996). This law:

Defines waste categories: “recoverable waste” and “waste requiring proper disposal”
Classifies waste management into three tiers: strictly regulated, regulated, and unregulated
Shifts focus from disposal to recycling, aligning with sustainable development goals

Germany’s Dual System (DSD) for packaging waste collection and treatment is a typical model of circular economy practice and operation.

The German Dual System (DSD) company was initiated by 95 retail, consumer goods and labeling production companies with support from the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and the German Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHT). It accepts commissions from enterprises to organize recyclers to sort waste, which is then sent to corresponding resource recycling manufacturers for reuse. Packaging that can be directly recycled is returned to manufacturers. Currently, 16,000 companies have joined the DSD system. Since 1991, Germany has classified packaging materials and marked recyclable packaging with a green dot symbol. Products bearing this mark indicate their packaging is recyclable, requiring consumers to place them in designated packaging waste bins for processing by DSD’s recycling companies. The government only sets recycling targets, while all other operations follow market mechanisms.

The DSD system is a non-profit organization funded entirely by registration fees charged to manufacturers for granting the “Green Dot” mark, with all fees used for packaging waste management. Packaging without the Green Dot mark is handled by retailers for recycling.

Although Germany adopts a multi-level governance model for domestic waste management, from federal to local governments, waste management and circular economy issues are uniformly coordinated by environmental authorities. Horizontal communication mechanisms are established across different levels to ensure governance approaches at all government levels comply with national laws and policy frameworks. This not only facilitates effective systematic management of waste and recycled resources but also promotes communication and experience sharing among governments, contributing to common goals within the broader framework.

After the 2016 Berlin city council election, the newly formed coalition government pledged in its phased policy agenda “Berlin Coalition Agreement 2016-2021″ (Berliner Koalitionsvertrag) to gradually revise the city’s waste management regulations based on zero-waste principles and promote circular economy practices to achieve a zero-waste city.

The new agenda also emphasized increasing repair and resale rates for electrical appliances and furniture, while requiring the semi-public Berlin municipal cleaning company to expand its responsibilities beyond waste removal and collection to include recycling of recoverable materials. This adjustment enables the company to further advance source management of waste.

The Dutch Model: Central Guidance with Local Implementation

The Netherlands recognized the importance of a sustainable economy early on and became one of the first European countries to implement waste sorting. Latest data show the country now achieves an 80% waste recycling rate, ranking among the world leaders. Moreover, the Netherlands is progressively reducing virgin material use, targeting a full circular economy transition by 2050. Unlike neighboring Germany, the Netherlands integrates municipal, industrial, and hazardous waste management under a single national law, with detailed regulations outlined in the National Waste Management Plan. This framework strictly enforces the EU’s waste hierarchy across all public and private sectors. Notably, the 12 provincial governments lack authority to amend regulations and have no dedicated departments for waste or circular economy matters. Nevertheless, many provinces actively promote circular economy principles through policy proposals and knowledge-sharing platforms like the Interprovincial Consultative Body (IPO).

(To be continued)

Translated by DeepSeek and Youdao

Photo by Johnny Hsiao of JM，2024

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