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Sustainable solid waste management program in Peru
WINNER
Applicant: Ciudad Saludable
Project: Sustainable solid waste management program Country of implementation: Peru
Worldwide, tens of millions of people suffer from improper disposal of solid wastes in the developing world. Albina Ruiz sees in garbage not only an intractable problem, but also an opportunity: building a community-based industry of efficient solid waste management systems that generate employment and facilitate cleaner cities. Now operating in 43 cities in Peru, and 5 countries in Latin America, the Ciudad Saludable (“Healthy City”) model is poised to spread throughout Latin America and even worldwide. Ciudad Saludable (CS) supports establishment and operation of community-organized collection, recycling and disposal enterprises; works with public agencies to ensure that trash removal services are coordinated and backed by public officials; supports initiatives to combat illegal dumping; conducts public education campaigns to change habits of individuals and large institutions, and operates organic demonstration farms to train farmers in using compost and recycled organic waste. At a national and international level, the CS team promotes policies and legislation and assists in the development of national plans to improve solid waste management and support replication of its enterprise-driven model.
Solar Park St. Alban Competence Center for Sustainability
NOMINATED
Applicant: Bio-Solar-Haus Becher GmbH
Project: Solar Park St. Alban Competence Center for Sustainability
Country of implementation: Germany
In St. Alban (Germany) the company Bio-Solar-Haus built a solar park of approx. 2 hectares with 12 organic solar residences for trial living by prospective customers along with an office and service building. Neither concrete nor asphalt seals the earth on streets, parking areas and walkways. Open areas and part of the roofs were planted with vegetation. Rain water is collected in a small natural pond, where it is naturally cleansed via a reed water treatment facility, warmed by the sun and used for domestic purposes. Waste water is treated in a plant-based water treatment facility. The houses are heated using the natural greenhouse effect of solar energy along with a small amount of wood.
Recycling Post Consumer Carpets
NOMINATED
Applicant: Post Consumer Carpet Processing Technology LLC.
Project: Recycling Post Consumer Carpets
Country of implementation: United States
2.5 million tons of used carpet, that produces poisonous emissions when incinerated, are dumped in to U.S. landfills annually. This is equal to a hole one mile by one mile by 100 feet deep. If left alone, the carpets never disintegrate. Until now, it was very difficult to separate the petrol-based derivatives to allow recycling of both the nylon and polypropylene materials. Post Consumer Carpet Processing Technologies LLC (PCC) has developed a new, simple, clean and highly economical method that separates the nylon fiber from the carpet backing. Based on PCC’s patent-pending technology, Interface, the third largest carpet producer in the world, installed the first line of machinery in September 2007. This enables Interface to recycle 15,000 tons of carpet annually and to reuse the recovered materials for new carpet and other products. The energy saved with a single line of recycling machinery corresponds to the heating demand of more than 250 U.S. households annually and another annual savings of 90 million gallons of water. The oil saved is estimated at 174,000 barrels per year per line of machinery, which at today’s prices, is about $19 million.
