The Danish model for sustainable waste solutions
Principles behind Danish participation in international waste management projects
Promotion of sustainable development
Any sustainable development must secure both sustainable health and environment and sustainable economy. This concept has formed the basis for the development of the solid waste management system in Denmark, and it is the basis for any Danish effort in international projects.
In a Danish context, the word "sustainability" is not just a headline!
A sustainable environment presupposes the development of goals and strategies, systematic planning, tested and safe technical solutions, use of recognized standards for environment, health and quality plus systems for safeguarding the optimal operation of waste collection, transportation, treatment and final disposal.
A sustainable economy presupposes availability of sustained financing of the waste management system. Decisions must be made as to future financing models: is it to be based on government financing, "non-profit cost-coverage" principles or user payment at market price. These decisions must be made and the systems developed and implemented.
The promotion of sustainable development is not so much a question of choice of technical solutions or securing financing of establishment costs. Rather it is a result of an interplay between legislation, management, planning, engineering, organization, economy and operational experience. This is the entity represented in "The Danish Waste Model".
Capacity building/Capacity development
Sustained solutions must be anchored to ensure legislative and administrative capacity as to planning, monitoring and control, follow-up and further development of the waste systems.
It can be difficult to secure not only coherence between the public administrative levels (state, regional and local), but also between areas of competence of different ministries. Ideally, solutions should be made where responsibility, competence and financing are as closely connected as possible.
Much Danish experience exists in these fields, and a fast increasing number of international waste management projects - with Danish participation - aim at exactly this element.
