Only waste? - Model Holding AG

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EDITORIAL 2 Valuable waste? Almost all the goods we consume end up as waste. Precisely for this reason, western consumer societies with their huge consumption of goods attach great importance to reliable, clean waste disposal. In this respect, Switzerland’ has a commendable record. Whereas in the 1980s and 1990s waste disposal was a major source of environmental pollution and a nuisance for many of our country’s inhabitants, since then Switzerland has made considerable progress. Although success in cutting consumption of raw materials by producing more efficient and longer-lasting goods is still the exception, government regulations have drastically reduced the concentration of harmful substances in many products. All plastics, for instance, now have to be cadmium-free. In the past 20 years the increase in the amount of waste produced has been contained by separate collection of different waste fractions. Alongside waste incineration, refuse separation is the second prong of Swiss waste management policy. Better recycling is another important measure to reduce environmental pollution; today considerably more raw materials are returned to the circular flow of goods and services. In Switzerland, the proportion of recycled waste from households and small-scale commercial operations and industry has risen from approx. 25% in 1988 to some 51% in 2005. Various factors are behind this success, including the provisions of the regulation concerning beverage containers, which threaten the introduction of a deposit on containers if minimum recycling quotas are not met. Other important factors were the introduction of voluntary collection and funding systems by business, e.g. for PET drinks bottles, cans and paper; information provided by communes, waste collection operators and business; and finally polluterbased financing, i.e. fees charged for collecting sacks of non-recyclable refuse. In the final analysis, this success depends on motivating all inhabitants to cooperate. Neighboring countries have different legal provisions, with the result that further fractions are collected separately. For instance, in contrast to statutes in neighboring countries, Swiss legislation does not solely target packaging: Switzerland does not have a general regulation governing packaging, nor is one planned. On the other hand, there are provisions that apply to specific packaging types and properties. As the quality of recyclable raw materials is currently good, they command good prices in the market for recovered materials. However, new product developments (e.g. new product labels with metal-containing semiconductor chips) can impair the quality of collected material and, in turn, upset a well-functioning system. This needs to be addressed. The aim should be to ensure that a large part of all waste flows back into the economy in the form of cleaned and sorted secondary raw materials. All of these recycling systems not only help to reduce environmental pollution – recycling often uses fewer resources than disposal and new production –, but recycling also is often considerably cheaper than disposing of waste in waste incineration plants. At the same time, there is no need to recycle at all cost: «Waste should be recycled if this causes less environmental pollution than waste disposal and the corresponding new production. In addition, recycling needs to have a solid long-term economic basis.» (Mission statement of the Swiss Waste Management Industry 1986). The ban on the direct disposal of non-recoverable waste and the major improvements in waste incineration have significantly reduced environmental pollution. A modern waste incineration plant can energetically convert waste into heat and power that can also be used in industrial processes in the vicinity. Waste recycling thus makes a key contribution to the sustainable use of resources. This is a sensible use of, in particular, refuse that contains compounds and contaminated and mixed waste. Furthermore, there are signs that the energetic potential of other non-recoverable fractions may soon be put to good use, especially the processing of green waste, garden trimmings and possibly wood chips to fuel. Now this would unexpectedly turn waste into a valuable asset. Dr. Hans-Peter Fahrni Federal Office for the Environment FOEN
Throwaway society The throwaway society is a phenomenon of the western industrialized countries. In economies of scarcity – as in the Third World – people re-use things over and over again out of necessity. On the other hand, one advantage of these economic conditions is the low level of waste accumulation. What do we mean by throwaway mentality? A non-sustainability-based attitude and the thoughtless disposal of litter (e.g. bottles, paper, beverage cans, etc.) in the environment, in the street or in green spaces immediately after completion of consumption. The throwaway mentality or throwaway society is underpinned by the production and consumption of increasing quantities of unnecessary, short-dated goods. Today, many high-quality and correspondingly expensive products (electronic devices being a case in point) are often also so designed that even minor defects cannot be repaired or at a cost out of all proportion to the price. Critical voices argue that the only purpose of this is to force the consumer to buy new equipment, which, in turn, produces unnecessary waste. In industrialized countries the term «refuse emergency» has entered the vocabulary. This does not describe a state of too much refuse, but the lack of places to dispose of some or all of it. It applies in particular to commercial waste. Meanwhile, in other parts of the world people are dealing with emergencies of a very different nature. Living from and with refuse For thousands of people rubbish tips such as Smoky Mountain in Manila in the Philippines are both home and a source of work and income. The inhabitants of Smoky Mountain, for instance, have in effect created functioning recycling programmes. They convert the «unwanted» waste into valuable income-generating materials. So why are the inhabitants being evacuated? In tropical countries, heavy rains regularly cause devastating landslides in rubbish tips. The rainwater also carries noxious and unsanitary substances. Moreover, the stench and fumes are injurious to the inhabitants’ health. They suffer from respiratory problems, nausea, headaches and other complaints. National and international organizations are helping to draw up and implement cost-effective programmes. The goal is not only to produce less waste, but also to recycle it properly. However, the emphasis is on measures to help the inhabitants. Resettlement has deprived many of them of their source of income. Hence, they are being trained in the professional recovery of materials from waste as well as new possibilities of processing it. More than 100 housewives process old newspapers and telephone books into tissues and accessories for sale in the Australian market. A line of fashionable clothing has also been established to generate additional jobs. WASTE WORLDS Even though older Smoky Mountains have been grassed over, the dangers associated with them have not yet been banished. New rubbish tips are being created. Better organization has attracted new «inhabitants». The human race continues to produce increasing quantities of waste. So, while mothers cultivate their vegetable patches on what are now «green mountains», their children play in the rainwater run-off – completely disregarding the dangers of waterborne diseases. (Source and illustrations: Asian Development Bank, Manila, Rita Festin) 3
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Only waste? - Model Holding AG

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