Danish exports of environmental products and consulting services within the waste sector in 1999
5. Denmark ’s strong foothold in waste management
Denmark is a pioneer in waste management. Thirty years of experience in meeting ever-increasing waste treatment and waste disposal requirements have made Danish companies highly qualified in waste management. Moreover, for more than 15 years, local authorities in Denmark have been responsible for planning and providing adequate infrastructure for disposing of all types of waste, both household and industrial. In future, Denmark's waste management strategy will focus on even better use of the resources present in waste and on better waste quality, including waste minimisation.
Several key areas of Denmark's waste management strategy have served to inspire common EU regulations. Danish companies have thus gained a strong export foothold. Danish industry can capitalise on its experience and expertise particularly in Central and Eastern European countries, which must comply with EU legislation in order to obtain EU membership.
Waste management unites companies and public authorities, and this gives Danish consulting firms a leading edge. One advantage is that Danish consulting firms have a solid basis for providing knowhow, master planning and institutional setup both nationally, regionally and locally.
Danish consulting firms possess adequate building and construction knowhow as well as experience, not only in design and planning, but also in regard to requirement specifications for a wide selection of plant and site types. Denmark can boast suppliers in almost any product area, be it collection and transport equipment, different types of shredders and compactors, composting plant equipment, biogas plants, incineration plants or landfill membranes.
Incineration is an area in which
Danish companies can supply virtually any equipment from grates and boilers to flue gas
purification systems. The strong foothold in incineration plants is firmly rooted in
Denmark's deliberate choice to incinerate waste and exploit the energy obtainable in waste
suitable for such incineration. Furthermore, a number of companies in Denmark are also
able to supply both individual equipment and entire systems. A few Danish suppliers are
even in a position to provide turnkey incineration plants capable of disposing of both
hazardous and highrisk waste.
Finally, Denmark seems to have a strong position in biogas waste management. The reason is that Danish companies are leadingedge suppliers in this area, particularly because of their knowhow accumulated through the treatment of liquid manure and different industrial residue products from sectors such as the food industry.