Tolsma, Marij (2026) Beneath the Surface of the Circular Ambition: A Systems Thinking and Nutrient Flow Analysis of the Frisian Organic Residue (GFT) Chain. Bachelor thesis, Global Responsibility & Leadership (GRL).
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Abstract
The European Union and the Dutch government aim for a fully circular economy by 2050 to replace fossil-based resources with regenerative alternatives, highlighting the need to recycle household organic residue (GFT) to restore soil nutrients and carbon. While GFT is a minor fraction of Friesland's total biomass, it plays a critical role in local nutrient cycles, yet parts of this valuable material are routinely lost to linear diversion pathways instead of being returned to the land. Using a mixed-methods design, this thesis integrates a baseline-modeled Material and Nutrient Flow Analysis with qualitative stakeholder interviews. The quantitative findings reveal that a significant portion of the collected organic mass is permanently lost. This is due to material pollution, strict regulations, and an infrastructure that favors short-term energy production over long-term material recovery, resulting in thermal destruction. Beneath the surface, these physical losses are anchored by the "Manure Paradox," where a national manure surplus financially penalizes farmers who want to buy recycled compost, alongside local Diftar policies that alter input purity and the strict Dutch Fertilizer Act (Meststoffenwet) that restricts the agricultural use of mechanically recovered organics. Locked in a state of bounded rationality, individual actors make choices that are logical for their own operational boundaries but fail to benefit the system as a whole. At the deepest paradigm level, the transition is slowed by socio-political polarization between industrial realism and environmental idealism, which paralyzes collaboration. To overcome this, the thesis proposes a practical "Learning Route" rooted in the Frisian cultural spirit of Mienskip, utilizing small, real-world experiments and a linguistic shift from "waste burden" to "source nutrient" to build cross-chain trust and protect the regional soil ecosystem.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Name supervisor: | Garzon Lopez, C.X. |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Jun 2026 10:27 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Jun 2026 10:27 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/792 |
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