Commercial and Industrial Waste and Selected Wasteflows

1. Summary

Nature and Environment Policy Report
In 1995, the Government presented the ‘Nature and Environment Policy Report’ and in a subsequent debate, in November 1995, the ‘Folketing’ resolved that one of the four most important areas for environmental efforts in future years is the phasing out of xenobiotic substances.

At the same time the ‘Folketing’ encouraged the inclusion of thoughts on the environmental space in future action plans.

Four Position Papers
As an extension to the ‘Nature and Environment Policy Report’ and the debate in the ‘Folketing’, the Environmental Protection Agency started to prepare Position Papers on four central areas.

Two Position Papers ‘Chemicals - Status and Perspectives’ and ‘Intensified Product-oriented Environmental Action’ were presented at the end of 1996. In the last half of 1997, a ‘Report on Industry’ will be presented and this Position Paper on ‘Commercial and Industrial Waste and Selected Waste Flows’ will be discussed in the coming months.

Definition of commercial and industrial waste
A more narrow interpretation of ‘commercial and industrial waste’ is waste from manufacturing enterprises, trade and offices, institutions, as well as building and construction. In addition to commercial and industrial waste itself, this Position Paper also focuses on residues from coal-fired power stations and waste-incineration plants based on environmental and resource considerations.

Chapter 2
Chapter 2 outlines the background for the Position Paper, including efforts up to now, where over the last ten years consecutive governments have aimed at reducing the amount of waste, avoiding landfilling, and promoting the recycling of waste.

In a number of areas, efforts have resulted in good results. Efforts have focused on the large homogenous flows of waste and on the hazardous waste which has been effectively collected, destroyed or landfilled.

Increasing problems with commercial and industrial waste
Despite these efforts, it has been seen that the amount of commercial and industrial waste is increasing and will increase faster than expected up to the year 2000. The amount of residues from waste-incineration plants is also growing, partly due to the ban on landfilling waste suitable for incineration.

The following trends for commercial and industrial waste are particularly characteristic:

	Instead of primarily landfilling building and construction waste, approx. 85 per cent is today recycled.
	It has been possible to increase recycling of waste from industry to 56 per cent and in trade, offices and institutions to 38 per cent.
	Landfilling has not been reduced either in terms of absolute amounts, or proportionally. This was a requirement made in order to achieve the goals for the year 2000. The objective is for industry to landfill only 10 per cent, and for trade, offices and institutions to have no landfilling at all by the year 2000.
	The amount of commercial and industrial waste is increasing and will be even larger than expected by the year 2000.

Environmental contaminants (in waste)
At the same time, it can be seen that more and more environmental problems are associated with the increasing use of environmental contaminants which are accumulated and disseminated via waste. When environmental contaminants end as waste, they become more concentrated after incineration in slag and flue-gas cleaning products, or they end in landfills.

Hitherto, focus has not been adequately directed towards the treatment of contaminated waste-flows.

Finally, problems with waste are examined in relation to ‘the environmental space’.

With this background, the Position Paper looks more closely at:

	rationale for the increasing amount of waste
	possibilities for recycling waste
	possibilities for reducing the environmental contamination caused by waste, including residues
	possibilities for exploiting the energy and raw material resources contained in waste to the best extent possible.

Chapter 3
Chapter 3 outlines four important challenges associated with commercial and industrial waste, large amounts, recycling, hazardous waste, and environmental contaminants.

Chapter 4
Chapter 4 describes the overall goals which are to ensure the least possible generation of waste, and to ensure that waste which cannot be avoided is recycled and disposed of in such a way as to minimise the dissemination of environmental contaminants and optimise the recovery of resources, both with regard to energy and raw materials.

Seven areas for efforts
After this, seven areas for efforts are pointed out. These are areas where specific initiatives for commercial and industrial waste have been proposed which can contribute to meeting the objectives.

The areas for efforts are directed towards various parts of the waste cycle; from generation to collection, treatment, and disposal. Some of the areas for efforts are of a more general nature, and others are directed to a greater extent towards specific sectors or waste fractions.

The areas for efforts concentrate on:

	Sectors with hazardous waste and environmental contaminants in waste
	National requirements for management of environmental contaminants in waste
	Better application of taxes on waste
	More active use of Part 5 of the Environmental Protection Act approvals, green accounting, and quality control
	Better opportunities to sell waste - establishment of a waste exchange
	Provision of support for the development of recovery technologies
	Increased recycling of waste suitable for incineration

Effective efforts both nationally and internationally
Effective efforts demand close cooperation between the parties involved. As more and more conditions regarding waste are regulated, or affected by international agreements and rules, efforts also apply to the various international bodies, where the EU plays a particularly important role.

In conclusion, there is an outline of the results which can be expected from the initiatives in relation to reduction of environmental contaminants in residues from waste-incineration plants, reduction of environmental contaminants at landfills, and intensified efforts against the increasing amount of commercial and industrial waste.

For example, it has been estimated that the pressure on the environment from residues will be reduced by between 60 and 90 per cent if the proposed initiatives are implemented.

Intensified cooperation
These initiatives indicate intensified cooperation between Government and municipalities, industry, and waste-treatment companies with a view to achieving the best possible waste management where particular attention is paid to hazardous waste and waste containing environmental contaminants. This means that schemes must be established within regions for example, or national measures which can ensure that waste containing environmental contaminants is collected separately from other waste. Furthermore, this means that methods of waste treatment must be developed which can aim at optimal exploitation of the resources in waste, including recovery of environmental contaminants so that they are withdrawn from the cycle and recycled as much as possible.

The Environmental Protection Agency assesses that combined, the initiatives proposed will not lead to extra economic expense for counties or municipalities in the form of increased administrative costs or increased expenditure on inspection.