What improves waste management? - Veolia Environmental Services

More documents

Recommendations

Info

10 that goes beyond simple technical expertise”. Another specialty, which draws more on methodological know-how, involves creating indicators to describe and quantify the objective environmental impact of Onyx’s operations…” Synergetic and global The many issues confronting manufacturers call for a multidisciplinary approach, echoed internationally by a network of research correspondents. This creates a better global overview and enriches everyone’s experience. The technical solutions adopted in each country depend on land availability, latitude, terrain, geology, history, culture and so on. Australians prefer waste landfilling to incineration. Scandinavians stress energy recovery. The British and Americans tend to make cutting financial costs a top priority. “Countries with lots of space—the American Midwest, Australia—rely heavily on extensive methods such as landfill. Others, which lack usable space (Switzerland, Japan, Scandinavia) prefer intensive methods such as incineration or recycling,” “Public opinion is based on preconceived notions, and includes a strong emotional component when it comes to waste management. We must propose cutting-edge solutions that take into account cultural, social, environmental, technical and economic constraints. Hence the value of advancing several technologies at the same time, of proposing multiple, versatile solutions. Especially since waste is not exactly the same all over the world.” Pragmatism and humility Researchers are not the only ones contemplating the future. A handful of Onyx experts are working on the “Onyx 2010” project, which aims to anticipate medium-term changes in waste management, including increased recycling and reduction of waste at the source. Onyx insists that recycling—of materials, farm waste and energy—is the most sophisticated way to treat waste. Yet it also points out that recycling must be “well thought out,” that is, financially realistic. Technology may be able to devise a product or service, but there still has to be a market for it. “It’s not enough to focus on the environmental merits of a treatment. It has to be economically viable too,” sums up the Onyx’s communication and marketing direction. “Looking at the issue from both an economic and environmental standpoint, which is more important: recycling paper at high cost in order to make paper pulp, or using it as a fuel? One hopes that common sense, rather than the ideological position of “zero waste,” would prevail. The reason scrap metal recycling works, for instance, is that there’s a market for it. The price users are willing to pay for their secondary raw materials covers the cost of sorting and treatment. Economic realism for- “ Triest” - Europe’s first fully mechanized sorting center, located in Thaon-les-Vosges, France. Here paper quality is being inspected. ces us to ask how much society is willing to pay to protect the environment. Onyx tries to protect the environment as much as it can by reconciling technical feasibility and economic constraints. But we can’t do it alone.” Waste producers must also take responsibility for improving the environment. Manufacturers must acquaint themselves with industrial ecology (see the T. Kazazian interview). And we must all return to the age-old tradition of source sorting, a vital prerequisite for increased waste recycling. Monik Malissard (1) Histoire des hommes et de leurs ordures, Catherine de Silguy, published by le cherche midi, 1996. German sewer pipes filmed in 3D Onyx Rohr-und-Kanal- Service is using a brand new 3D camera developed by IBAK to inspect the sewers it maintains. The scanner is equipped front and back with a high-resolution digital camera and wide-angle lens. It can take 360 degree shots that can be stored and processed on a computer, then reconstituted into a film. The camera shoots at a speed of 35 centimeters per second and offers a more detailed, faster view of the condition of sewer pipes than traditional video cameras.
Eight commandments for the future Technology will not be the only force driving the waste cycle revolution. Future waste professionals will have to teach their customers and the general public to scale back their waste production and help developing countries adopt clean technologies. Such, at least, are the guidelines of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) for the next 10 years. The necessary shift to sustainable development is a major focus of ISWA’s future-oriented thinking. An NGO currently chaired by Jean-Paul Léglise, technical director of SARP Industries Onyx, and composed of national associations, companies, researchers, professors and students of 81 different nationalities, ISWA advocates best practices in waste management. In its 2003 report on the 10-year outlook for the waste management industry, ISWA proposed eight commandments to reconcile waste management with environmental protection, community aspirations, manufacturer needs and the opportunities offered by economic globalization. Its recommendations deal with both the upstream side of waste management and “pre-waste” issues. 1_Protecting the planet ISWA recommends developing biological treatments. Depending on whether they are aerobic or anaerobic, biotreatments ultimately yield organic amendments or recycle biomass energy, a prime example of a renewable energy. 2_Continued progress in collection Waste collection and transportation are also expected to change, starting with technical innovations. Sophisticated trucks—in industrialized countries they will sport robot arm systems and satellite guidance devices—will make pickup cheaper and less ardu-ous for collectors. More widespread use of geographical information systems will make rounds more efficient, cutting the number of kilometers traveled and the air pollution caused by trucks. 3_Cleaner incineration Modern incineration plants have already sharply improved their environmental performance, through better control of combustion (less residual waste) and more efficient fume scrubbers. 4_From uncontrolled dumpsites to sanitary landfills Progress is also expected to be made in waste landfill, especially in developing countries, where ISWA has counted as many as 200,000 potentially polluting landfills. The NGO is therefore urging officials to neutralize uncontrolled landfills before opening safer ones. It is urgent that this be done, to avoid otherwise exorbitant environmental and cleanup costs. 5_Waste and sustainable development Manufacturers and waste management professionals will have to work together more and more closely to design product manufacturing and disposal methods that generate as little waste as possible. Another challenge will be convincing producers that a recyclable product can eventually become a “secondary” raw material, instead of waste to be destroyed. 6_Spotlight on industrial hazardous waste Close cooperation is also needed with producers of industrial hazardous waste (IHW). Although major strides have been made with IHW in the last several years, tonnage and volumes have been reduced at the expense of recycling. IHW is tending to become more diluted and scattered, whereas concentrated, uniform waste would lend itself better to recycling and environmental protection. 7_Medical waste alert The medical waste sector could use the same kind of inoculation. Whether generated by centralized facilities or individual households, medical waste is highly diverse and growing in volume each year. ISWA considers it urgent to improve collection techniques for high-risk medical waste. Research will also needed to find disposal solutions for each type of waste and each type of production site. 8_Getting the work out Information campaigns are needed, targeting manufacturers, health care professionals and the general public. “Informed” citizens, who produce household and ordinary waste, can reduce waste at the source by changing their consumption habits and promoting recycling through improved waste sorting. V.O. REPORT 11
Page 1 and 2: O N T H E W A Y T O W A R D S A N E
Page 3: EDITORIAL T he anniversary of the f
Page 6 and 7: 06 sured by comparing the per capit
Page 8 and 9: 08 steps to ensure public health. R
Page 13 and 14: FROM CART DRIVERS AND RAG-PICKERS T
Page 15 and 16: industrialized world, it was a diff
Page 17: cubic meters (19 metric tons) to 18
Page 20 and 21: 20 tilted more towards a cost-benef
Page 23 and 24: FROM BURNING TO ENERGY PRODUCTION S
Page 25: Fluidized bed incinerators Long use
Page 28 and 29: 28 industrial pollution. Under the
Page 30 and 31: MULTINATIONALS : HOW FAR IS TOO FAR
Page 32 and 33: 32 government incapacity to act, co
Page 34 and 35: 34 issues: how to know when their a
Page 36 and 37: The national recycling plan adopted
Page 38 and 39: Vehicles equipped with a powerful v
Page 40 and 41: 150 years of environmental progress
Page 42 and 43: 42 1934 1900 waste management spani

What improves waste management? - Veolia Environmental Services

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?