ABSTRACT
This chapter applies the proposed zero waste index (ZWI) to measure the waste management performance of the four case study cities. In regards to their ZW performance against the ZWI criteria, San Francisco performed best, scoring 0.51, followed by Adelaide (0.23), Stockholm (0.17) and Dhaka (0.14). Stockholm scored a comparatively low ZWI despite having the most advanced waste regulations and waste treatment technologies because of relying on incineration which depletes recoverable resources. The ZW tool can be implemented and is useful to apply a broad range of waste types by developing a comprehensive database of substitution factors for different types of waste and treatment technologies. By quantifying the potential substitution of virgin materials, resources and GHG offsets from waste management systems, cities can be helped in monitoring their resource consumption and resource recovery and measuring their progress towards zero waste.
