Imported plastic bags burned despite criticism



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Many Swedish Cogeneration is fueled by waste, but as we, Swedes, are very good at sorting and sending our waste to recycling, Swedish waste is not enough. Then the Norwegian, British and Irish garbage ships here instead. For heaters, it's a good deal. They are paid to take care of the garbage, as well as for the heating and the electricity that they generate.

In 2016, we recovered approximately 1.3 million tonnes of waste, which represents 20 to 25% of the waste heated in Swedish heating plants.

The waste industry considers wastewater imports as a contribution to the environment. It is better to produce electricity and heat than to put them in stinking dumps where leaks of harmful substances escape, you think.

In addition, there is garbage a resource, and as for goods and services, there is free movement of waste in the EU. The environment does not see national boundaries, says several of the waste industry.

"We are living in an internationalized economy today, and I have never met any environmental scientist who thinks that national borders will control environmental work," says Ulf Wikström, Head of Development. at Exergy in Stockholm.

He thinks that Swedes should continue to sort their waste.

"If you do not sort, nothing will be recycled," says Ulf Wikström.

But the import of sewage is the subject of criticism.

"Much of the imported waste is plastic, and we believe that we should encourage the recycling of materials first and waste-burning garbage will eliminate their motivation," said Karin Lexén, Secretary General of the Nature Conservation Association. .

It's not expensive For countries like Norway and Great Britain to send their waste here instead of building their own recycling and waste management system, she said. And the Swedish CHP also earns money on wastewater imports.

"Because there is an agreement in this, it continues," she says.

But Ulf Wikström thinks it is improvident to add moral values, such as "take care of one's own shit", on the mushroom problem.

"So, we can think of a trick, not everyone can take care of everything, the important thing is that the waste is well managed and does not end up with garbage. authorities and businesses and between countries is the only way to solve this problem. "

Karin Lexén explains Incineration is also less taxed than other carbon dioxide emissions. Previously, a tax on the incineration of waste was applied, but it was removed in 2010. Since then, the incineration of waste and soap imports have increased with the construction of a larger number of cogeneration plants.

Ulf Wikström and other stakeholders in the waste sector highlight the benefits for the environment.

"Today, the EU spends a lot on landfills, and even if traffic management were to be carried out today, with proper sorting of packaging and biological waste, more waste would have to be deposited." 50 million tons per year in the EU.Producers of district heating systems take care of a small part of it. "

"Sweden is not wrong to help, we also need electric heat and an integrated district heating system.If we do not use waste fuels, we should use something else."

He points out that There is no common opinion that more materials need to be recycled. Then it will be, even in the EU, he assures.

"But manufacturers must also be encouraged to create recyclable materials."

It's a question of points in the methods of waste, he develops. There are toxic and non-recyclable substances. But what is possible to make new material will be distributed. This also applies to creating demand for recycled plastics, for example, with the need to interfere in new things, he thinks.

"Recycled plastic should be considered as valuable as the oil used to make it," says Ulf Wikström.

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