waste management in the european union

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Waste management is a pressing issue. In the European Union, household
waste has doubled in weight over the past forty years. If this upward trend
continues and waste is still not treated properly, Europe’s rich heritage may one
day be flooded with rubbish! To reverse this trend, the EU has set ambitious
targets. By 2020, waste generation should be reduced in absolute terms; re-use
and recycling should reach the “maximum feasible” level and be economically
attractive; energy recovery should be limited to not recyclable waste; and
landfilling should be virtually eliminated. So, what have the EU and its twenty
eight member states done so far?
Case study 1: Naples, Italy
A rubbish crisis broke out in Naples in 2010. It shows clearly that even in a developed
country like Italy, how serious the problem with waste could be if no proper action was
taken. Have a look at the following resources to learn more.
More about the rubbish crisis in Naples
．(Video) Naples residents set fire to rubbish: http://goo.gl/yHa5LE
．(Photo) Garbage Wars in Naples: http://goo.gl/AmkDJA
．(News) Naples rubbish crisis: EU warns Italy of big fines: http://goo.gl/jRxC1T
EU Waste Management Hierarchy
The EU suggests its member states to manage waste according to the following hierarchy.
We will go through each method one by one.
PRODUCT (NON-WASTE)
WASTE
PREVENTION
PREPARING FOR RE-USE
RECYCLING
RECOVERY
DISPOSAL
Method 1: Prevention
Prevention is the most desirable method in the waste management hierarchy.
Case study 2: Stop Pub (France)
Have you ever received unaddressed junk mail in your
mail box? French households receive an average of 15kg
of unwanted mail each year which accounts for 5% of
household waste. The French government came up with
a simple solution to tackle this problem.
( More information: http://goo.gl/vJ9gTW )
Source: EU waste prevention best practices
Please design an anti-junk mail sticker for Hong Kong households!
Method 2: Preparing for re-use
Reuse = Preparing for re-use?
Reuse is to use an object or material again for another purpose
without discarding it. Reuse is therefore considered as a form of waste
prevention.
Preparing for re-use is slightly different from reuse in the sense that
it deals with products that have already been discarded by their last
owner and are therefore considered as waste. It relates to checking,
cleaning or repairing activities which allow a waste substance, product
or material to be reused without any other pre-processing.
Case study 3: De Kringwinkel (Belgium)
Ever wondered where to find second-hand goods in Hong
Kong? In Belgium, it is not a problem at all. De Kringwinkel
is the biggest second-hand shop in Belgium, with 108
branches all over the country.
( More information: http://goo.gl/ZOIVCh )
Visit one of the local second-hand shops and share your findings with your
classmates in the next lesson.
Method 3: Recycling
Some items cannot be reused, but can be recycled.
Case study 4: Eco-innovation (the EU)
The EU has funded various projects to support
eco-innovation. Have a look at the following two projects:
． (Video) From old TV sets to ceramic tiles:
http://goo.gl/OVrxXf
． (Video) From tyres to noise barriers:
http://goo.gl/96zm16
Do you know any other recycled products?
Source: European Union
Case study 5: Your mobile phone
Do you regard yourself as a responsible consumer? How did you discard your last mobile
phone? Watch the following two videos and draw a smartphone’s lifecycle map on the
blackboard.
( More information: http://goo.gl/hygVRD )
． (Video) The Secret Life of a Mobile Phone: http://goo.gl/gsAEHo
． (Video) Smartphones and Sustainability: http://goo.gl/vm7cC6
Choose an item and research its lifecycle on the Internet.
Method 4: Energy Recovery
Waste can also produce energy!
Case study 6: Spittelau waste incineration plant (Vienna, Austria)
Must incinerators look ugly? Look at this one whose
outlook was designed by the Austrian artist
Hundertwasser. It provides heating to 60, 000 households
nearby. Does it change your impression of incineration?
( More information: http://goo.gl/bLkZeB )
Source: Spittelau (1) / josylein@Flickr/
CC by BY-NC-SA
Case study 7: Importing waste (Sweden)
Can you imagine a country longing for waste? Indeed, Sweden is so successful in energy
recovery that it even imports waste from other countries!
．(Video) Sweden turns imported waste into energy: http://goo.gl/0BKIKO
．(News) Sweden must import trash for energy conversion because its recycling
program is so successful: http://goo.gl/jJFVug
Method 5: Disposal
Disposal is the least desirable method in the waste management hierarchy.
Case study 8: Landfilling (European countries)
While Hong Kong’s landfills are likely to be expanded,
several European countries such as Austria, Belgium,
Germany, Denmark and Sweden have imposed a restricted
or complete ban on landfilling. Not more than 3% of waste
ends up in landfills in these countries. The rest gets
incinerated, recycled or composted.
( More information: http://goo.gl/e8tsfu )
Further Information
． Being wise with waste: the EU’s approach to waste management:
http://goo.gl/QbRLrD
． Best practices of waste prevention in the EU: http://goo.gl/1kTWvM
． European Week for Waste Reduction: http://goo.gl/d16TCY
． Ecodesign in the EU: http://goo.gl/ANC5OZ
EU’s Ecolabel: http://goo.gl/l5GMTm
EU’s LIFE Projects: Waste: http://goo.gl/LiFWlc
Consumer Classroom: http://goo.gl/51p6MN
European Green Capital: http://goo.gl/shdgpr
Life Cycle Thinking and Assessment for Waste Management: http://goo.gl/2kYfBU
Waste Prevention – Handbook: Guidelines on waste prevention programmes:
http://goo.gl/XXKL39
． Landfill taxes and bans: http://goo.gl/6NWyzc
．
．
．
．
．
．

Download Report