Vital Waste Graphics

WASTE MANAGEMENT

From “dilute and disperse” … Once upon a time, the amount of waste generated was considered small enough to be diluted in the environment. With massive industrialization and urbanization, a new concept followed this somewhat optimistic view: “concentrate and contain”. Its objective was to eliminate the waste or at least protect the population from its grasp, which generally involved either incineration or disposal in landfills. In most countries today this is still the solution. … to “integrated waste management” As the garbage pile gets higher and the environmental conscience sharpens, it is now recog- nized that producing waste at this rate is no longer acceptable. Now is the time for “integrated waste management” and its motto – “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” (the famous 3 Rs) – a practice that most developing countries started to apply long before it was even formulated. As waste disposal strategies evolve, the consumption rates in the developed world are questioned and a surprisingly reasonable solution appears: why not consume less, or at least better?

Landfilling and incinerating still leading in Europe Treatment of municipal waste in selected countries

Percentage of municipal waste generated (last date available) 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% 0

Greece

2001 2000 2000 2001 2002 2000 2000 1999 1998 2000 2001 2001 2002 2001 2002

Ireland United Kingdom Italy

Portugal

Spain

Luxembourg France Finland

Belgium Austria Germany Sweden

Many solutions … The range of waste management strate- gies is as wide as waste is diverse. The basic steps are source reduction (educating, sorting, recycling, compost- ing); collection and transport ; treatment (incineration, chemical and biological treatments, etc.); and disposal (open dumps, sanitary landfills, deep-well geo- logical disposals). These processes themselves generate what we could call “the waste of the waste” (incineration residues for ex- ample). … but at what cost? Sound waste management requires a high level of technology and a significant budget. What Japan and Germany can afford today, most countries will have to wait a long time for. Developed countries have a lot to learn from the recycling and reuse levels in developing countries.

Netherlands Denmark

What is projected for 2020 ?

1000

OECD countries

non OECD countries

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

1995

2010

2020 1995

2020

2010

Composted

Incinerated

Recycled

Landfilled

Source: OCDE, Eurostat, 2002 and 2001.