1. Waste: a potential source of wealth

1.1 Energy: one of many ways to add value

The best way to manage waste from an activity is to try to recover as much of it as possible, so as to end up with only ultimate waste, which can be defined as that which has no application today, or for which recycling is not economically viable. Depending on the category of waste, energy recovery, i.e. the production of energy or an energy source, is sometimes possible.

Figure 1 shows an example of used tire recovery. According to a 2002 decree, all new tires sold in France must be recycled at the end of their life in an approved facility