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- Report n°1: The new constraints of urban development
Report n°1: The new constraints of urban development
Refuse collection and treatment
Urban sprawl is an additional cost factor for refuse collection, due to the elongation of journeys for collection and journeys to the final outlet. Collection, treatment and recycling of refuse could perhaps be carried out at the level of a group of dwellings, by, for example, linking an incineration installation with an energy recovery system in order to feed a heating network for the housing development. Maybe the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome would prevail in the case of a district unit, with residents preventing it from being installed. However, this will depend greatly on the mentalities of the residents and how well they assimilate these new innovative techniques.
More generally, it would no doubt be useful to reflect on the possibility of conceiving agglomerations composed of subunits (subsystems), each one at its own level (block, district, town) being equipped so as to minimise consumption and waste.
Furthermore, a chief aspect of individualised refuse treatment is home composting of organic refuse, the single-family house surrounded by a garden being especially conducive for this technique. However, it is not yet certain that households will assimilate this technique, which they may view as overly complicated. A home composting service for organic refuse, sorted at each individual dwelling, would be a potential service for development.