Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa: How They Stack Up on Waste Recycling
Yves here. Recycling and waste processing are important processes that are often overlooked. Many consumer systems, such as waste separation, are so inconsistently implemented that they are useless (don’t get me started on what I’ve seen around the world) where business and industrial systems will prove to have great potential (such as recycling more materials and being easier to use and manage due to the scale of operations). I think those exist in forward-thinking countries, but the US is fixing the situation at the domestic level.1
Again in writing laziness, the authors designate Russia as an emerging country because of its membership in BRICS.
By Aifani Confidence Tahulela, Researcher, Durban University of Technology, and Fulufhelo Netswera, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Postgraduate Studies, University of Venda. Originally published on The Conversation
The global economy still largely follows a simple pattern: extract natural resources, produce products, use them and throw them away. This “take, make, throw away” model has fueled economic growth for decades. But the increased use of resources has also damaged the environment, contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Circular economies can be the solution. The idea is to keep things in use as long as possible by reusing, repairing and recycling. In this way, goods circulate in the economy rather than ending up in landfills.
In rapidly developing economies, this method is very important.
We are researchers working on waste management, circular economy and sustainable development in emerging economies.
In the latest chapter of the book, we look at how the original BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – are tackling climate change and pursuing sustainability. (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates have joined the BRICS.)
We chose to study these countries because they are competing with countries that are still developing economically. They face the same challenges of demand for resources and goods and rising rates of waste. This makes them important models for understanding the dynamics of the circular economy at scale.
We reviewed existing research on country policies, technologies and business models to identify key opportunities, challenges and policy lessons.
Our findings show that circular economy practices are emerging in the countries we studied, but not at the same pace. China stands out as the best. It has strong national circular economy policies and implements them on a large scale.
Brazil and India have made moderate progress, particularly through bio-based systems that use natural products such as plants to create environmentally friendly products and chemicals. They also set up new recycling methods.
In contrast, Russia focuses more on the recycling of industrial waste. South Africa is lagging behind because it does not have enough recycling resources and is not implementing all of its circular economy goals.
How countries manage resources and waste will shape the quality of urban life, public health and economic opportunities for millions of people.
Why the BRICS Countries Are Facing Growing Pressure
Around the world, cities produce more than two billion tons of waste sent to landfills each year. This will increase as the population grows and eats more.
The BRICS countries make up more than 40% of the world’s population and about a quarter of the world’s economic output. These economies have rapidly urbanized and their industries have expanded, increasing the demand for raw materials, energy and manufactured goods.
This growth has also produced a lot of waste. But recycling rates remain relatively modest. China currently has the highest recycling rate among the group, recycling around 38% of its waste. Brazil renews about 29%, and India about 24%. Russia and South Africa generate the smallest shares, at around 14% and 12% respectively.
To sustain economic growth while reducing waste and pressure on the environment, our research suggests that these countries must accelerate their adoption of circular economy methods.
A Circular Economy That Does
Brazil: Brazil has developed bioenergy and waste management practices that reuse agricultural residues and has developed university and municipal recycling programs. In cities like Curitiba, residents can exchange recyclable waste for food or transportation benefits, improving both recycling rates and social well-being.
Russia: Russia is very focused on the recycling of industrial waste. For example, it encouraged the development of “eco-technoparks”. These are residential waste treatment facilities near factories so that industrial waste can be used to create new materials. This reduces the amount of waste going to landfills and improves efficiency.
India: India has experimented with “urban mining”. This is where valuable materials are recovered from electronic waste and re-introduced into production. For example, India’s e-waste recycling system recovers metals such as gold and copper from discarded electronics.
China: China has the most ambitious circular economy policies among the first BRICS countries. Several cities have introduced large-scale recycling programs and mandatory waste sorting systems where households must separate their waste into four categories, or pay a fine.
South Africa: South Africa has begun to bring circular economy ideas to the supply chain of green products. This includes redesigning how products are sourced, manufactured, transported and disposed of so that materials can be reused, waste reduced, and environmental impacts reduced. For example, using recycled materials and reducing packaging.
Sustainable manufacturing is another example. South Africa has introduced Additional Producer Responsibility Laws. This requires manufacturers to take responsibility for the waste generated by their products throughout their life cycles. This encourages companies to design goods that are easy to reuse or recycle.
Petco is bringing together manufacturers to manage expanded producer responsibility packaging programs in South Africa. It supports collection, recycling, design, and markets to reduce waste and promote a circular economy.
South Africa can move forward if it can use the additional methods of other BRICS countries.
Opportunities for Innovation
Circular systems not only reduce waste and reduce environmental impacts, they can also create new industries focused on recycling, repair services and remanufacturing (returning used products to almost new condition). These are badly needed in all BRICS countries and the entire African continent.
Digital tools such as artificial intelligence, big data and smart waste management systems can help. For example, smart bins equipped with sensors can alert collection trucks when they are full. Artificial intelligence systems can automatically separate plastics, metals and paper from conveyor belts in seconds.
The Brics countries have large consumer markets. So any innovations like these can also support the growth of new economic sectors focused on sustainability, and create new job categories.
What Should Happen Next
Governments need clear strategies that promote recycling, promote sustainable production and support resource efficiency.
A major barrier to circular economy in the countries we studied is poor communication. Separate regulations at all levels of government and sectors, such as municipalities handling waste while national bodies set standards, make it unclear who is responsible for which tasks.
Another problem is the lack of recycling facilities, waste processing systems and technology that allows materials to be recovered and reused properly.
Businesses may also need incentives to participate in the circular economy as they tend to value short-term profit over sustainability.
Government and private investment in green technology and advanced data systems to monitor waste and resource performance will also be important.
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1 Note, composting is great if you have a yard. My beef is with the municipal recycling process.
