If the idea of a circular economy originated decades ago and almost everybody seems to think it's a good idea, we might ask where is it? Why does it seem as distant now as it ever was?
First, it's worth considering that, in nature, there is no such thing as "waste"; only humans generate waste.
In a natural system, everything consumed by plants, animals and even bacteria goes back into the environment where it can be used again.
But we humans operate a mostly "linear" economy that begins and ends with a hole in the ground. This is Dig, Use, Dig: or the DUD economy.
Given that we are currently consuming in the order of a hundred billion tonnes of physical materials each year, the scale of the problem is immense.
It's also getting more urgent as the population and the size of the economy increases.
The use of materials grows in parallel with GDP, which runs about 3.5 per cent per year.
If that continues, in 20 years' time we will be consuming 200 billion tonnes each year and, in 2064, it'll hit 400 billion tonnes.
Clearly that's not sustainable because the planet simply cannot keep giving forever.
It points to a fundamental limitation: the circular economy can only ever recover materials that are already in use. By definition, it does nothing to address the problem of growth.
Despite the popular notion, a perfectly circular economy is impossible because it leaks at every stage. Material is lost during production and distribution. Even conscientious consumers occasionally put things in the wrong bin.
The challenge continues with the messy jumble arriving at a recycling depot.
Modern electronics are a complex mix of 20 or more metals, plus plastics and other things which are extremely difficult to recover.
One of the best materials for recycling is aluminium because it's often in a fairly homogeneous form such as in drink containers and window frames.
It's also good because recycled aluminium requires only 5 per cent of the energy needed to make virgin aluminium.
On the positive side, it's estimated that 70 per cent of the aluminium ever produced has been recycled at some stage in its lifetime. On the negative side, that means 30 per cent has been lost.
It's also not typical because recycling other metals generally requires far more virgin material.
One of the worst examples is lithium, with only 1 per cent being recycled.
That, however, does not suggest that huge improvements are not possible because they certainly are.
A good start to improving the circular economy would be to force companies to design products that can be more easily broken down.
Then cutting back on planned obsolescence that forces us into an endless cycle of upgrades would help too.
- Rod Taylor is co-author with Mark Diesendorf of The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation.
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