Nestled in the large landscapes and powerful economy of its territory, Texas is becoming greener. An innovative way to do this, and one that is gaining a lot of attention lately is the circular economy — here’s how it differs from traditional linear economies based on “take-make- dispose.”
A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy, where we keep resources in use for as long as possible and extract the maximum value from them before recovering and regenerating at their end of life. Texas has a wide variety of industry and population growth, making it ripe for exploring how circular economy principles help to foster change across numerous sectors.
Initiatives on Waste Reduction and Recycling
The strategy opted for in Texas which is most conspicuous among other strategies the State could have followed has been to focus on improving its waste reduction and recycling programs.
Austin, Arlington and Houston have long been some of the most innovative cities in fighting to keep recycling going for as long as possible. Through its Zero Waste Strategic Initiatives, Austin is committed to send at least 90% of resources away from landfills by 2040, instead of constantly using dumpster rentals. In order to achieve this ambitious target, the city must develop systems of infrastructure that can handle a similar volume and an education campaign aimed at reducing contamination in its recycling streams.
Circular economy principles are being trialled in the waste sector as a case study, because Houston is considered ‘the energy capital of the world’. In addition to its “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” campaign the city’s Solid Waste Management Department also created a single-stream recycling program designed for residents that makes participating easier and more convenient. Ultimately, these programs are meant to drive recycling and away from the landfill.
Industrial Symbiosis & Circular Exchange of Resources
Another key element of Texas’ circular economy strategies is industrial symbiosis. This concept requires industries to collaborate with one another, share byproducts and waste materials for use in their processes which helps to decrease wastes as well improve process efficiency.
Indeed, with its many petrochemical industries the Texas Gulf Coast is a veritable hot bed for industrial symbiosis. These businesses can lessen their carbon footprints as well as go cheaper by pooling resources such as heat, water and materials. In doing so, this partnership not only reduces waste but also opens up new business opportunities by turning trash into assets.
The Circular Economy of Agriculture and Water
Owing to the economic importance of agriculture in Texas, transitioning this sector towards a circular economy is paramount. Circular agriculture in Texas means closing the loop on nutrients and organic carbon while reducing overall resource consumption to ensure future capacity.
A primary example of this is the increasing adoption of regenerative farming methods, which focus on soil health and recycling organic materials such as crop residues and animal manure to improve fertility. These practices that allow for the sequestering of carbon, are no till and free from synthetic fertilizers in an economical way not only enrich your soil conditions they also increase the capacity to withstand extreme weather events which has been increasingly miserable (in part due to Climate Change) here is Texas.
Another key area where we using circular strategies is water management. To combat the loss of usable water due to evaporation and seepage, Texas cities are developing wastewater-reuse plans.
The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) has one of the nation’s most ambitious programs, treating wastewater to a high quality for reuse in manufacturing or irrigation–and even blending it into the city potable water supply. The water-saving method saves freshwater resources and eases pressure on Texas aquifers and reservoirs.
Built Environment Innovation
Texas’s quick urbanization also gives the potential to put into practice circular economy processes within construction and building. In places like Austin and Dallas, sustainable building methods-such as repurposing structures to consider them a material, modular construction and designing buildings that can be dismantled-are even becoming normalized.
To help other communities follow the lead, Austin’s Green Building Program is demonstrating sustainable building practices that reflect principles of a circular economy.
It also aims to promote the use of local materials, energy efficiency and recycling during construction or demolition. Texans are minimizing the burgeoning urban sprawl by incorporating circular design in their buildings and architecture, which is lessening its environmental impact on a growing metropolis for sustainable long-term solutions.
Renewable energy and circular economy
The release also indicated that Texas is a national renewable in leader wind and solar power. This includes circular economy strategies implemented into the production of materials used in renewable energy infrastructure, like solar panels and wind turbines for their reuse or recycling at end-of-life stages.
The recycling of solar panels and wind turbine blades is a challenge because they represent valuable resources with rare metals and are made compounds that require specially developed technologies. With the renewable energy sector expanding, these efforts are crucial to ensure that transitioning to a clean source of energy does not result in new environmental problems down the road.
Partnerships between the Public and Private sectors & Policy Support
For the circular economy to be a success in Texas, we need government and industry and community working together. It is up to public-private partnerships.
The Texas Circular Economy Working Group is a great example of this kind of collaboration between businesses, government agencies and non-profits. The AMT is a group that fosters circular economy principles among diverse sectors including manufacturing, consumer goods etc. State and local government policy support is also important to incentivize business adoption of the circular economy through recycling, sourcing from sustainable practices.
Texas is in the early innings of a transition to a more circular society; however, its businesses and industries have already made lasting progress towards incorporating these principles into their different sectors.
As one of the country’s most prominent emitters, such changes will play a critical role in Texas transitioning to create an economy that is both sustainable and resilient for future generations. With these efforts only gaining momentum, Texas could soon establish itself as a trailblazer in circular economy best practices and serve as an example for other states or regions to emulate.
