Eco -industrial park framework development to enhance waste management: Case study

The eco industrial park (EIP) concept seeks to minimise industrial pollution and resource exhaustion problems through circular economics. This study explores how the concept of eco industrial park could be implemented to a town in a developing economy to reduce the large amount of industrial waste disposed in landfills, as well improve the current unsustainable use of resources, energy and water in the case study area of Harare metropolitan. A questionnaire based survey was done to establish industrial activities and the associated waste produced by various operations. A five step anchor tenant model was used to produce a virtual eco industrial park, whose central point is based in one of the four identified distinct industrial areas, whereupon possible by product exchange and recycling patterns were generated. The resultant framework model estimated a 15-20% decrease in industrial solid waste deposited in dump sites. It was also established that the framework had to evolve over time incorporating other industries and developing new relevant by-product reuse and waste recycling technologies in line with the prevailing agricultural based economy for sustainable development.