Resource recovery from waste: business models for energy, nutrient and water reuse in Low- and Middle-income Countries

This publication showcases real examples from around the world, demonstrating how plant nutrients, energy and water can be recovered from what is currently viewed as ‘waste’ – avoiding their unregulated disposal into the environment and associated costs (e.g. health costs, clean-up costs), while also capturing the financial value associated with reuse of the treated or recycled resource. Like a catalogue, compiled mostly from low- and middle-income countries, the book covers a wide range of value propositions to maximize cost recovery and social or financial benefits. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of recovering resources, particularly from food waste in growing urban centers, for the benefit of the water, energy, nutrient and carbon cycles. If these case studies and the models derived from them can inform broader programs aimed at scaling up good practices, they will contribute importantly to the achievement of many SDG targets, including SDG 11 on more resilient cities.