Figure 1.

The Nine Development Bands (9DBs) theory of waste and development: Showing the ‘9DBs tree’, the key to the development bands, and progress through the early DBs.

The roots and trunk of the tree represent early development bands in the development of a municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system (DB1–DB4), as rates of collection coverage and management in a controlled facility gradually increases. The top of the trunk, emerging from DB4 into the new ‘target baseline’ DB5, marks compliance with SDG indicator 11.6.1, ‘universal’ (95+%) waste collection and controlled recovery or disposal. DB6 –> DB8 and DB7 –> DB9 represent two distinct historical routes through the ‘leafy branches’ as MSWM evolves more into waste and resource management (WaRM), with (95+%) full control or environmentally sound management (ESM) in recovery and disposal achieved in DB6 and DB7, and a focus on the 3Rs in DB8 and DB9. DB zero sits on top of the tree, representing the ultimate aspiration of a ‘zero waste’ circular economy.

Source: Whiteman et al. (2021). Figure © Andrew Whiteman (Graphics: Ecuson Studio).

3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle; DB: development band; ESM: environmentally sound management; SDG: sustainable development goal.