At City of Roses Disposal and Recycling (COR) we take a wide view of the world. Yes, first and foremost, we handle waste, but we are constantly looking for and adopting processes that don’t just divert waste from landfills but actually reduce waste. We strive for this with the understanding that reducing waste is critical for sustaining our fragile environment and also because we believe sustainable practices can help equalize our communities and boost our economy. 

What Can We Learn From Denmark

We don’t just talk the talk, which is why we were part of a delegation from the City of Portland and the Portland Business Alliance that went on a clean industry study tour in Denmark. The tour was supported by the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure and its partner organization in Denmark, the Kalundborg Symbiosis. Through a series of educational seminars and on-site tours of facilities that included Kalundborg Symbiosis, Novozymes wastewater treatment plant, and Kalundborg Utility, we joined our fellow businesses and community leaders to see first-hand how a global leader in innovative green energy is adopting the process of industrial symbiosis. 

What is industrial symbiosis?

Industrial symbiosis is a big term for a process that turns waste or by-products from one industry into the raw materials for another, thereby creating a circular economy. For instance, car tire shavings could be used in construction, or heat from a manufacturing plant could be used to warm greenhouses. The goal is to have zero waste, which is not only good for the environment but boosts resource efficiency. From our perspective, industrial symbiosis can put Portland back on the map as a leader in green initiatives. Remember how Portland held the top spot for bike lanes and public transportation, and we were recognized for our many parks? That was a long time ago, and we have to step it up again. 

The tour showed us that through a network or circular, local industrial practices, companies see increased profitability and are able to offer higher-paying jobs while they are also reducing carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. Denmark’s eco-industrial park has been in place for about 25 years and now encompasses about 30 material exchanges. Successful programs include: 

• surplus heat from a coal-fired power plant is heating 3500 homes; 
• sludge from a fish farm is being sold as fertilizer; 
• steam from a power plant is sold to a pharmaceutical and enzyme manufacturer; 
• gypsum that comes as a by-product from a power plant is sold to a wallboard manufacturer. 

The different processes share not just information but also equipment and personnel, making this a truly efficient system both environmentally and economically. 

Economy, Environment, and Equitable Communities

The concept of industrial symbiosis is not new to COR. We have been researching the possibilities for our campus so we can become a model for a circular economy in the US. Relying on increasing taxes and fees on businesses that pollute as a means to encourage them to adopt green practices is short-sighted as a strategy to fight climate change. Instead, investments should be made in processes we can implement now that actually have a greater long-term impact. We believe a closed-loop industrial district where one producer’s waste becomes another’s resource is a viable solution—one that not only creates a more sustainable environment but also offers good-paying jobs and enhances the economy. As an added bonus, this approach creates an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual support across the businesses that participate. Building a one-for-all and all-for-one mentality may seem impossible today, but we believe it can happen and is a step in bringing our country and communities back together in a way we have yet to see in the 21st century.  

Our delegation saw first-hand how this can work, and it’s time we stop just talking about the possibilities but take some action to really propel Portland back to a city that leads the way on being green while uplifting its most vulnerable communities. It took Denmark 20 years to bring industrial symbiosis to fruition. We do not have that much time to find workable solutions. Our team at COR recognizes that the challenges we face within our environment, economy, and our communities, are tied together, and a holistic approach is needed to build an environmentally sound and equitable future. We believe that creating a space for industrial symbiosis could be a big step forward, and we look forward to not just more discussion of the possibilities with our partners in Portland and the Denmark delegation, who we hope will visit our area soon, but to taking action today for a better tomorrow.