On October 23-25, a Dutch expert in circular economy and sustainable development, Maayke Aimée Damen, visited Tbilisi within the framework of the USAID WMTR II program, implemented by CENN.
Maayke presented about specific examples concerning waste management and the importance of changing our attitude about waste. She asked the seminar participants to consider waste as a potential resource instead of trash.
A good example of this is Damen’s company that she founded, Excess Materials Exchange. Through her company, other companies and businesses buy and sell used materials and create sustainable development models for their business
But still, why is waste management important?
With an increasing global population, the demand for materials is increasing while the amount of materials is decreasing. According to the linear economy concept – procure, produce, use and throw away – 95% of resources are lost. However, no resources are wasted in the circular economy concept. At least, that is the goal.
In Georgia alone, 900,000 tons of waste is produced, which could potentially be recycled or reused. It is important to note that most of this waste is organic, plastic and paper waste.
It is possible to prevent the loss of valuable waste by cooperating with companies and people who have already taken the initiative to recycle waste on their own. Circular economy is the only model that can provide sustainable development as well as ethical consumerism.
