Page 55 - European Energy Innovation - Spring 2017 publication

Spring 2017 European Energy Innovation 55
legislation requires the separation of
different products and materials at the
moment that they become a waste,
even more so in the revision currently
in progress, so as to preserve their
intrinsic value and facilitate their further that residual waste as a fuel in those
use in the economic cycle. European
municipalities have the responsibility to
create the system to make sure that this
happens.
To make it more visible, we are talking
here of packaging waste which
contains plastics, paper, metals, glass;
of biowaste which can be transformed
into compost for use in agriculture and
biogas for use in vehicles, for heating
or to generate electricity; of mobile
phones, fridges, washing machines,
computers, furniture, bicycles which can
be repaired and re-sold and of the heat
and electricity that can be generated
from non-reusable or non-recyclable
waste. All of this is already happening
but it needs to become widespread, so
that all municipalities in the European
Union are doing this and more, and so
that we can assist developing nations
to follow our good rather than only our
bad consumption patterns.
The best way to encourage such
best practice is to demonstrate how
it works economically as well as
environmentally. Several examples
of this type already exist, where the
costs of waste management have
been significantly reduced by moving
away from collecting mixed waste and
replacing it with separate collection of
different waste materials and products
at source, which are then sold to the
market. EU members still in need of
developing their waste management
systems are still being told that
separate collection is more expensive
than mixed waste management but
they are not being told the full story.
These Member States are still collecting
waste every day: this is the key cost
in a waste management system and
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
MUNICIPAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
is unnecessary. To be clear, there
will always be residual waste; left
over after separate collection and
recycling and it makes economic as
well as environmental sense to use
Member States which have the systems
and the need for heat to make best use
of this resource.
It is neither wise to ignore that need:
the existing waste to energy plants,
district heating systems, their near to
full energy recovery, nor to weaken
the efficiency of waste management in
Europe by encouraging investments
into more mixed waste treatment in
countries which are not yet recycling
enough to meet the legislative targets
that they agreed to. And this should
not apply to municipal waste alone
which makes up 10% or less of waste
generated. If Europe is serious about
re-circulating resources and creating
economies of scale to make these
efforts sustainable then the 75%
commercial and industrial waste needs
to play the game as well.
It is clear that this is a complex system finding themselves unemployed due
and to succeed, all parties need to
work together to manage their part
of the chain. Municipalities may be
at the forefront of municipal waste
management which includes household
waste and waste similar to household
waste from commerce and industry,
but the producers of packaging, waste
electrical and electronic equipment,
batteries, vehicles and other products
have a responsibility to ensure that
their products are taken back from the
market once they have entered the
waste stream for reuse or recycling.
European legislation is currently being
revised to promote more recovery and
less ‘loss’ from the European waste
stream. At Municipal Waste Europe it
is our job to make sure that European
municipalities are fully supported in
this task and that in turn we support our
local economies with the savings and
through the new jobs created.
The principle of proximity for waste
management as given in the European
waste directives should also apply to
the sale of the materials recovered
for recycling. This is what will boost
the creation of a circular economy in
Europe by delivering quality materials
to European industry. This is not to say
that these materials cannot or should
not be traded on the global market, but
if Europe is serious about growing its
economy sustainably, it should focus
on reusing what has already been
extracted and paid for before buying
new primary materials. This is a closed-
loop or ‘circular’ economy.
Economic efficiency through resource
efficiency is also not something to be
restricted to one region of the globe or
to developed countries. Europe is not
the only continent that still exports its
‘unsustainable’ production; suffering
itself economically as a consequence.
Municipalities are the ones faced with
finding jobs for citizens suddenly
to the failure of an industry. The future
is linking up all strategies whether they
are economic, waste, resources, water,
soil or climate as they are not separate.
They are intricately interwoven and
interdependent and understanding
their synergies will ensure that we are
able to address the root causes of
global warming before it gets out of
hand. l
Contact details:
Municipal Waste Europe
Renewable Energy House
Rue d’Arlon 63
B-1040 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 400 10 94
Web: www.municipalwasteeurope.eu