Local governments making infrastructure plans that recover energy and resources from waste can use this resource to access a multitude of information including technology, case studies and funding support. This guide was compiled by CEA with the generous support of the Province of B.C. - Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and our team is grateful to the project advisory committee who guided the direction of the project and provided helpful review and suggestions.
“Closing the Loop” is a guide about capturing value from local government infrastructure by recovering energy and other resources from waste.
This guide builds from past work related to “Integrated Resource Recovery” (IRR), including:
- Resources from Waste: Integrated Resource Management Study (2008)
- Resources from Waste: A Guide to Integrated Resource Recovery (IRR) (2009)
- Integrated Resource Recovery Inventory (2010)
In the ten years since the original study, many local governments have demonstrated that IRR technologies can use solid and liquid waste to create energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and recover nutrients, while saving money and potentially generating revenue.
“Closing the Loop” places IRR into a broader approach we are calling “regenerative infrastructure”. The approach, and its name, is inspired by the concept of regenerative design, which mimics nature’s processes. In nature, there is no waste, as all resources cycle through closed loop systems and serve a purpose.
There are 4 main sections in the resource:
Section 1 - Taking Inspiration from Nature
In Section One we introduce the regenerative infrastructure approach and its four categories of strategies, connect the approach to local government climate action, the circular economy, and other related movements, and outline six guiding principles for infrastructure planning and development.
Section 2 - Tools & Technologies
Section Two presents tools and technologies organized according to the four categories of strategies in the regenerative infrastructure approach: Integrate policy and planning; Design with Nature; Recover Water and Materials; and Recover and Generate Energy and Heat. The latter two encompass Integrated Resource Recovery technologies.*
Section 3 - Case Studies
Section Three presents Integrated Resource Recovery case studies from around B.C. that link back to the tools and technologies in Section Two with icons.
Section 4 - Bringing It Home
Section Four is all about “Bringing it Home” to your community. This section outlines a methodology for identifying and supporting regenerative infrastructure opportunities, provides links to related regulatory requirements, and Federal and Provincial policies and funding opportunities. It concludes with advice on winning a grant application.
*The foundation of much of the content in the Tools and Technologies section is from the original Integrated Resource Recovery (IRR) Guide, Resources from Waste (2009), authored by Stephen Salter and the Province of B.C.
