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Waste 21

2. The Danish Waste Model

The Danish waste model is a comprehensive system covering waste prevention, collection and treatment. The fundamental principle of the model is that co-ordination of waste management is a public sector task.

In Denmark, responsibility for management of all waste lies with the local councils.⁷

In Denmark, in contrast to many other countries, we have chosen to manage household waste, and industrial and commercial waste, in a comprehensive waste management system, covering both packaging waste and hazardous waste.

For some recyclable fractions, collection systems with source separation have been established, enjoying widespread acceptance and used extensively by citizens and enterprises. The principle of source separation of waste is one of the key elements in the Danish waste model.

It is a municipal task to ensure that the waste hierarchy is followed, ensuring that some types of waste are recycled in compliance with specific requirements.

In general, it is attempted to solve the waste problem at the source by introducing cleaner technology. In recent years, environmental management, green accounting and similar concepts have also gained ground. This has meant that waste is not only perceived as an environmental problem, but also as a resource.

The local council may choose to be in charge of waste management itself, or it may contract the task to an intermunicipal waste company.

The local council may also choose to contract waste management operations to private companies.

The practical organisation of waste management is different from one local authority to another. Large local authorities such as Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense choose to manage waste themselves. Most of Denmark's other (small) local authorities have chosen - mostly for practical reasons - to co-operate with other local authorities with a view to solving central parts of the task jointly. This is done by establishing intermunicipal waste companies. Such companies are normally based on Art. 60 in the Local Government Act⁸ .

Management of hazardous waste is also organised differently from one local authority to another. A network of intermunicipal transfer stations has been set up, servicing most local authorities in Denmark. A few local authorities handle hazardous waste themselves.

On 1^st January 1998, 35 intermunicipal waste companies and 18 intermunicipal transfer stations existed, all approved under Art. 60 of the Local Government Act.

Other types of companies have also been established to operate within waste management. Some of these companies are owned by local authorities.

Municipal schemes for household waste are normally operated by local councils, municipal companies and private waste companies, whereas the management of industrial and commercial waste is normally contracted to private companies.

The collection of both household and industrial and commercial waste is typically contracted to private companies.

Waste recycling is mostly carried out by private companies. However, several intermunicipal companies also operate within waste recycling, as a means to ensure environmentally correct recycling of waste independent of, for example, fluctuating market demand for recyclates.

- incineration

Waste incineration is in practice a public sector task, and incineration plants are typically operated by municipal or intermunicipal companies. In addition, several incineration plants exist that are not run by intermunicipal companies. Ownership forms vary much and, for example, several plants are owned by power distribution companies.

As a general rule, waste disposal sites may only be owned by public authorities.

To support the Danish waste model, a broad range of instruments are applied that are characteristic to this model. These instruments are described in Appendix A. Both EU and Danish legislation on waste set up objectives and requirements for waste management in relation to the preparation of waste management plans. Appendix A describes the interplay between Danish and EU legislation.

Transboundary movements of waste

Transboundary movements of waste follow a specific procedure based on previous notification, authorisation and financial guarantees.

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency is the competent authority, and the scheme is administered in extensive co-operation with regional and local councils.

Assisted by the police, local councils monitor that regulations on transboundary movements of waste are complied with. However, regional councils are responsible for monitoring waste imports to Danish enterprises which operate under regional supervision under the Danish Environmental Protection Act Art. 66. Regional councils also carry out monitoring on the roads.

2.1 New focus for waste management

Waste 21 introduces a change of focus in Danish waste management.

New focus - qualitative objectives
- quality in treatment
- reduced environmental impact
- increased resource utilisation
Until now, focus has been on quantities - i.e. waste minimisation and increased recycling. From now on, focus will also be on qualitative objectives - better quality in waste treatment is be achieved. This means reduced environmental impact and increased resource utilisation in an economically acceptable way.

Utilisation of resources in waste is to be understood very broadly. Resources mean both energy resources used to generate "waste", raw material resources making up waste, and energy that can be recovered by waste incineration.

Products may be reused directly. Reuse preserves both raw materials and the energy used to manufacture the product. The Danish bottle return system is a good example of reuse.

It is also possible to process waste, using its raw materials to manufacture new goods (recycling). Recycling ensures utilisation of raw materials several times. Virgin raw materials are saved, as is the energy used to produce them. At the same time, the energy content of waste is saved which as a last resort can be recovered, for example by incineration.

Another kind of recycling is the extraction of raw materials from waste, for example copper or lead. This has many advantages: virgin raw materials are saved, spreading of substances is reduced (a hazard to the environment), and raw materials can instead be utilised in new products.

The energy content of waste covers both the energy used to manufacture the product and the energy reserve which may be recovered by incineration of the product. Biogasification of organic domestic waste ensures recovery of both fertilising contents and energy contents, making this form of treatment superior to incineration. These and other factors are important to take into consideration in the choice of future treatment methods.

Factors to be considered differ from one waste fraction to another, and the choice of method depends on treatment methods available and logistics at any given time. However, we have to face the fact that technological development does not happen automatically in the waste area. The reasons for this are that waste management competence is decentralised and that sources of several waste fractions are dispersed unevenly over the country. For example, one waste fraction may be generated in small quantities in many municipalities. Other waste fractions may arise in large quantities in few municipalities. Therefore, supply is not secured. This constitutes a barrier to innovation and development of profitable collection schemes and treatment methods.

In addition, market prices fluctuate widely, and consequently initial investments in the sector are risky. There is no incentive to invest in the development of new plant and turn it into commercial use.

In future, local councils will continue to be responsible for developing waste solutions, but they must be flexible and open to involvement of professional competence from other local authorities, private companies and to look at national solutions.

Under Waste 21, this will be even more important as more fractions are to be collected and treated separately, and new methods must be developed to treat these fractions. New treatment methods must be adapted to waste of the future. Local councils must be prepared to adapt to alternative management of given waste fractions.

Today, local authorities co-operate on the recycling of, for example, paper and cardboard, and batteries are collected separately and reprocessed abroad. It may be necessary to extend this co-operation to cover more operators in the choice of new waste solutions in order to improve quality in waste treatment.

As a consequence, local councils must be prepared to co-operate - also across borders - when they develop new waste management solutions.

Focus on qualitative elements in waste management is also one of the main messages in the Danish Government's "Report on Waste - Waste 21" dated January 1998 (Danish only).

Better quality in treatment is a prerequisite to ensure that targets for reduced spreading of environmental contaminants and optimisation of resource utilisation are met.

Environmental contaminants came in focus with the "1995 Nature and Environment Policy Report", adopted by the Folketing in November 1995. According to this report, one of the four most important areas of effort in environmental policy is the phase-out of xenobiotic substances.

The Government is also focusing on chemicals.

In connection with this new focus, two other strategies play a key role for the environment.

In the Government's report on future initiatives for chemicals from May 1997 and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency's report on integrated product policy, tools for preventive efforts are identified in which source tracking and limited use of undesired substances are important elements.

List of undesired substances

Furthermore, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency has drawn up a list of substances that are undesired in products. The list is based on knowledge of substances' harmful effects on human health and/or the environment. In the selection, consideration has been given to problems arising in manufacture, use, and disposal of waste.

The list is a useful tool in the identification of substances that cause problems in waste management, and therefore it is to be used in the development of cleaner technology and the substitution of environmental contaminants with less harmful substances.

However, it will take time before the integrated product policy has an effect on waste, and undesired substances are substituted. Durability of goods is an important factor when the nature of waste is to be changed.

In parallel with this preventive effort a modern waste treatment system is therefore to be established that can handle waste as it is today - both originating from domestic and imported goods - and which will be affected by "old" products on the market for some years ahead.

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