The Waste Absorption Footprint (WAF): A methodological note on footprint calculations

For a better understanding of human demand on the biosphere's capacity to assimilate wastes, this paper introduces a new footprint-based indicator, which is named the 'Waste Absorption Footprint' (WAF). The proposal of the WAF is inspired by the idea of building footprints on nature's multiple ecological functions. Within this framework, the WAF is built upon the waste absorptive capacity of the land and water area. This methodological approach is not confined to a particular waste product, but is able to include a variety of wastes generated by human activities. With this method anthropogenic emissions of wastes are translated into absorptive land and water areas. The results can be expressed in units of average hectares by scaling different land-use types in proportion to their relative absorptive capacity. The utility of the ecological footprint in sustainability evaluation can be greatly strengthened by combining the WAF to fully capture environmental effects induced by anthropogenic emissions of wastes. This paper also discusses the relationships of the WAF with other footprints and is intended to inform future debate on footprint accounting.