Resource Efficient Design 2019-2020.

Resource Efficient Design 2019-2020
Assignment B: Recommendations for waste reduction and improved use of resources
Module code: ENGT5260 P.NO: P2557025
1
RESOURCE EFFICIENT DESIGN
Assignment B
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WASTE REDUCTION AND IMPROVED USE OF
RESOURCES
Submission to:
Dr. Leticia Ozawa-Media
Prof. Mark Lemon
P2557025
ANAND BABU KANTIPUDI
MSc Engineering Management

Resource Efficient Design 2019-2020
Assignment B: Recommendations for waste reduction and improved use of resources
Module code: ENGT5260 P.NO: P2557025
2
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WASTE REDUCTION AND IMPROVED USE OF
RESOURCES
Introduction
Waste generation is increasingly becoming a global problem that should be addressed by the
concerted efforts of both business entities, local authorities, national and regional governments.
The general public also plays a vital role in the reduction of waste. This is because waste
generation adversely affects the environment necessitating the need for public participation to
manage it effectively.
According to a report released by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee
(2008), a lot has been achieved in waste management through strategies like waste reduce, waste
reuse, recycling waste, waste recovery and residual management. This report therefore presents
mechanisms to articulate efficient design into already existing processes so as to improve the
efficiency of resource use as a mechanism of reducing waste generation.
There is significant need to incorporate sustainability issues in the design of products and
processes to reduce waste generation starting from the production process (Soraya, 2012). This
can be achieved through enlightening manufacturers to have knowledge needed for better
designs and including such information on the design briefs as they will greatly improve
production processes.
Problem statement
In particular, this report explores ways of reducing generation of metallic waste. Huge tonnes of
metallic waste produced both from households and construction industries are usually disposed
in landfills. The ever increasing population constantly competes for the scarce land resource for
various uses leaving lesser space for landfills (Arjan, 2018). Consequently, this results into poor
disposal methods leaving the metallic parts jugged out from the ground constituting a health
hazard to the nearby communities and also undesirable effects to the environment.

Resource Efficient Design 2019-2020
Assignment B: Recommendations for waste reduction and improved use of resources
Module code: ENGT5260 P.NO: P2557025
3
This paper therefore seeks to minimize the amount of metallic waste generated by incorporating
efficient design into the production process in order to increase the sustainable use of resources
while reducing waste generation at the same time.
Innovation and Use of technology in design
Sustainability in design
The industrial processes of metal production should embrace the use of other metal ores that use
less energy in process. Certain metals like aluminum consumes enormous amounts of energy
when melting the ores, this in itself consumes much energy which is not sustainable in the long
run and also produces harmful by-products. In his work, Shaw (2016) recommends the use of
recycled metals as the process uses lesser percentage of energy as compared to melting bauxite
when making virgin aluminum. Both iron and mild steel can perfectly replace aluminum.
There is also urgent need to conduct research and come up with new ways of making metallic
alloys without the use of chemicals. The normal processes are often accompanied by the use of
chemicals that will eventually leak into the soil after disposal, causing serious negative effects to
the underground water resources. The use of chemicals, toxic solvents and reagents should be
avoided at all costs by innovative state of the art designs to mitigate the threat posed to the
environment by the metallic waste O’Brien (2011).
Innovative techniques should be used to involve Resource Efficiency Design (RED) to address
the following issues;
In one of the reports by Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2013), appropriate designs should be used
to allow for disassembly at the end life of the metallic product. This makes it easy to be
dismantled by using minimal energy and taken for recycling. The individual parts forming the
metallic product should be fastened together by use of adhesives that will allow for easy
disassembly and subsequent use of those parts in making other products or being used elsewhere.

Resource Efficient Design 2019-2020
Assignment B: Recommendations for waste reduction and improved use of resources
Module code: ENGT5260 P.NO: P2557025
4
Weight reduction is an important strategy to reduce the metallic wastes especially in products
made of aluminum. The reduced weights are accompanied by less energy in the manufacture of
cans and other products. The light-weight packages also minimize the waste to be disposed by
the users.
It is worthwhile noting that transporting vehicle parts that are made of aluminum uses lesser fuel
for transportation than car parts that are made of steel, which are relatively heavier.
Durability of products is a major concern for any industrial process, as manufacturers try to
produce highly durable products. Since production of metallic products contribute to
environmental degradation, it is fair that they last longer to reduce the production intervals
(Eleni, 2015). This would be achieved by improved innovation in design so as to increase the
performance of products, a strategy that will enable them to last longer.
Recyclability of aluminum metallic products ensure that they can be used over and again
indefinitely without compromising on the quality. However, it requires a precarious balancing
act to ensure that different laminate layers do not compromise the intended light-weight of the
product.
Re-usability ensures that the old parts of a metal product can be put into other uses, for instance,
a metal can that was initially used to store energy drink can be re-used in keeping beverages.
Cradle to cradle design is a concept that accounts for a closed loop life cycle of a product. The
choice of the material would be important to enable accountability of their life span and well
beyond after they are disposed of. Designers are therefore needed to learn from the natural
environment, where wastes generated are eventually returned to the ecosystem (Soraya, 2012).
Challenges facing the implementation of sustainable design
Business requirements are a hindrance to eco-friendly designs in the sense that a client would
present a design brief based on their specifications, and manufacturers are not to alter them or
work beyond that which is provided.