Climate protection and eco-efficiency via intelligent waste management
19.06.2008
Using waste as a resource instead of landfilling it and giving market forces the opportunity to optimise the mix of different recovery options provide an enormous potential regarding climate protection and efficiency in Europe.
Two current studies demonstrate which potentials waste management offers and which frameworks in the range of politics should be applied to realise these potentials.
The study "Resource savings and CO
2 reduction potentials in waste management in Europe and the possible contribution to the CO
2 reduction target in 2020" generated by Prognos, ifeu and INFU, arrives at the conclusion that an intelligent waste management is able to contribute up to 27% to the climate protection targets in Europe. Politically, shifting towards a "Divert-from-Landfill"-strategy, particulary in the case of biodegradable and high calorific waste, appears as the most promising option. A flexible recovery scenario which benefits from a mix of different recovery options optimised by market forces, comes off at least as well as a scenario on the basis of a stringent 5 level recovery hierarchy. A market-oriented and flexible framework should be prefered for the purpose of a reliable implementation and an optimal allocation of resources.
A total of 10 european associations and networks - including tecpol - supported these study.
Hyperlink to the study:
www.prognos.com
The study "Eco-efficiency analysis: Options for plastics waste treatment in Europe", generated by experts of BASF SE on behalf of tecpol and Plastics
Europe, focused on plastics waste only, however, it analysed in addition to environmental criteria the costs of the selected waste management options. As a result of the study diverting used plastics from landfill is the crucial sucess factor to improve the eco-efficiency performance of plastics waste management. The study suggests that a "Divert-from-Landfill"-strategy optimised by market forces is the best solution for maximising the use of resources, while a regulatory framework based on product-related (sub-)targets and recycling requests is less efficient.
Please download:
Summary of the study
