A material flow analysis for Copenhagen
MFA can help visualise urban life's hidden rhythms, point out unhealthy consumption patterns, and new possibilities for sharing, reducing, reusing and recycling resources in the city.
As the day unfolds, the city breathes in and out, its material metabolism in constant motion. Through its cycle of production and consumption, the city generates waste that finds its way to recycling centers, the recycling industry or waste incineration, before some of the materials enter a new loop while others are lost.
Wish to contribute?
The work will aid the transition to a circular city by identifying opportunities for reuse, recycling, and recovery, providing insights into the flow of materials through different stages of their lifecycle and supporting the development of strategies to minimize waste and maximize resource recovery.
It will help in identifying areas within the city of Copenhagen where there is high consumption of resources or generation of waste. This will inform interventions and resource optimization efforts effectively.
Copenhagen is collecting data to paint the full picture of how materials flow through the city. If you have some of the inflow data and want to collaborate, contact us.
What is MFA?
A material flow analysis visualizes all the material inflows and outflows, showing, for example, food and energy consumption, emissions, or solid waste streams and how they are connected within the system. By gaining this overview, it's possible to discern where it's most effective to put city sustainability efforts.