| Abstract [eng] |
As urban areas increasingly contribute to environmental challenges, it is essential to integrate sustainable development goals to improve their resilience and sustainability. For cities to experience the advantages of these initiatives, they need to operate as communities that collaborate to achieve environmental objectives, partnering with researchers, government entities, and the business sector. This research seeks to explore the feasibility of integrating circular economy practices into urban management systems in Jonava. To accomplish this objective, a literature review is conducted, a material flow analysis of the Jonava municipality's waste management system is modeled using the STAN program, budget allocations for sectors are assessed through Microsoft Excel, an LCA is performed with CCaLC2 program, and discussion and feedback is done with the public organisations. The focus of this research is on 39 public organisations and institutions located in the Jonava municipality, which have been categorised into seven sectors: education, health, social services, sports, municipal services, public governance, and culture. Data for this analysis is derived from public procurement records for the year 2023. This project evaluates the environmental impact of purchased goods, alongside electricity, heating, water, and waste management. Findings indicate that Jonava municipality recycles only 2 thousand tons of waste annually, with a total of 10 thousand tons classified as mixed municipal waste, highlighting opportunities for improved sorting methods. In terms of budget allocation across the examined sectors, it has been determined that more than half of the total budget is dedicated to the Education and Municipal Services sectors, and for most sectors, the largest share of the budget is spent on product purchases. The functional unit used for the life cycle assessment represents the items purchased by each sector for the year 2023. Each sector possesses a unique functional unit due to the varying quantities of items purchased. The results reveal that the most significant environmental impacts are found in the Municipal Services sector (primarily from energy and fuel), the Education sector (largely resulting from food products and electronics), and the Sports sector (mainly due to wastewater treatment), indicating major areas for potential improvement for the municipality. Other recognised challenges in adopting circularity initiatives include a lack of awareness, difficulties in altering behavior, and insufficient funding for circularity efforts. Suggested actions for the Jonava municipality include enhancing energy efficiency (particularly in the Education and Municipal Services sectors), modernizing transportation and optimizing driving routes (especially in the Municipal Services sector), establishing self-catering systems (for the Education and Social Services sectors), and promoting electronic document storage rather than printing (for the Education and Municipal Services sectors). |
