Waste as a global problem

• Author: Silvian Ionescu
• Position: General Commissioner of the National Environmental Guard.
• Pages: 1-8

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WASTE AS A GLOBAL PROBLEM

Silvian Ionescu

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Abstract

After revealing that the waste is a global problem, the author stresses the

importance of recycling in the context of a new model of sustainable development

ecopolitic. Also, models are highlighted global recycling and directives (right

side) in the European Commission. At the end of the article, the author sets out

proposals for a study on the management of waste electrical and electronic

equipment in Romania.

Keywords: sustainable development; waste recycling; methods of recycling

waste electrical and electronic equipment

Introduction

Since the `70s the authorities and operators working in the field, realized that

the waste is a problem and the treatment methods in landfills or incineration are

not satisfactory. There was also the problem of recycling the materials that enter

into their composition.

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)

in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 have adopted policies that have been introduced

worldwide.

The European Union concerns were much older, the first European

Commission directive waste problem dating from 1975. Awareness campaign that

the most efficient form of recycling waste is held in Europe under the brand three

R`s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, in English: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, in French: low

Réutiliser, Recycler).

Changing global ecosystems, due to the consumption and production, shows

how important is the process of rethinking the use of natural resources to the

economy and society. In this context, the European Commission for Environment

and Development defined a new model and created ecopolitic term sustainable

development.

Sustainability, according to which further economic development needs of

today`s society, not a risk to the future generations, Environmental Law underpins

our country. Ensuring sustainable development requires compliance with legal

regulations based on principles that: caution in making decisions, risk prevention

and environmental damage, conserve biodiversity and natural ecosystems specific

biogeographic framework in.

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General Commissioner of the National Environmental Guard.

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An important strategy in achieving this goal is to develop the economy in a

system (circuit) transformation of matter and dark energy (flow-circular economy)

without achieving ecological balance, by the discharge of waste outside the circuit,

with the closure of their flow.

Recycling seems to reintroduce in the current conditions in the production

flow within two thirds of the waste and the remaining third of the waste form

other waste, just like a technological flow. It concludes that, currently, non-waste

company to remain at the notion of utopia.

In order to effectively promote sustainable development require cooperation

among all economic sectors to maintain the technical processing of materials in a

longer period, in terms of caution in making decisions to prevent environmental

risks and damage occurrence.

These decisions are effective in the context of their correlation with economic

incentive or coercive, polluter pays. For industry, the problem of waste

management through reuse (recovery and recycling) is a national necessity,

economic and environmental priority.

While in Romania have launched recycling initiatives under this generic

before 1989, in the context of deprivation of that period, the action being imposed

from the top down, has encountered resistance.

Currently, recycling is resumed, but the success of recycling policy can take

and waste sorting, which should be started from the first phase, the separate

collection of recyclable materials.

I. Methods of recycling waste in the world.

I.1. Worldwide, several trends are emerging of annihilation / waste recycling

and environmental protection against pollution: the selection of useful substances

from sources on the production and deposition of debris not only spoil, but also of

other unselected recoverable as compost.

Recovery as an organic fertilizer produced with nutritional value for plants (a

kind of plant to treat sludge from wastewater treatment plants of water), or burned,

the heat production, industrial processing waste recovery by unselected , burning

with heat production and separation of ash combustible substances.

The current technologies are very diverse. For example, pyrolysis technology

can be found operating at high temperatures (2000-2200° C). Pyrolysis

temperature is raised, but applicability is restricted to a few products.

As the basic processes are distinguished:

– pyrolysis – the thermal decay of organic matter in the coke, oil or gas

pyrolysis in a reducing atmosphere, low oxygen (O2 < 2%) at temperatures of

450-1000 ° C.

– gasification – the conversion of the holding organic with a gasifying agent

(oxygen or water vapor) in the syngas at a temperature of 800-1600 ° C and a

pressure between 1 and 45 bar

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– combustion - complete conversion Part organic CO2 and H2O in the

presence of oxygen at temperatures.

Other waste treatment processes are stabilization, solidification and

encapsulation.

The objective of these procedures is to:

1. improve the physical properties of the waste,

2. limit waste and the interface between the external environment, especially

water,

3. lower solubility and permeability of the waste constituents

• Stabilization is the immobilization of potentially hazardous elements

contained in waste that could be released due to water solubility. As a result, the

waste is chemically stable.

• solidify, the waste is transformed into a solid compact.

• Encapsulation is often surrounded by a waterproof and chemically inert.

Materials and techniques used for these processes include:

a) clay

b) hydraulic cement binders with volcanic rocks and fly ash from thermal

power plants

c) organic substances. They have a high cost, similar to hydraulic binders.

Among the organic binders can remember: Thermoplastic binders (bitumen, tars,

polymers etc.) That by heating at 200-300˚ C can be mixed with the waste.

Permeability and mechanical strength makes them to be used in waste treatment.

d) vitrification. The waste glass is încorport in high temperatures. Currently

only radioactive waste is treated through this process expensive. Temperature

process is taking place between 1000-1400 ˚ C and imposes restrictions on the

environmental part because of volatile components contained in the original

waste: mercury, lead or cadmium. Industrial waste containing 20-30% silica are

well suited to this type of treatment because of the possibilities of autovitrification.

The observed weight losses of treated waste (15-20%) which may be due to

phenomena of decomposition or volatilization;

e) vitroceramicele. Glass tends to devitrifica time, which made it necessary to

study vitroceramicelor obtained by controlled devitrificarea bottles.

Vitroceramicele are more stable and less soluble;

f) ceramics that are very expensive, often having low compatibility with

numerous waste, it is obtained from a combustion process.

Waste can be eliminated by controlled solidification-stabilization processes

are waste heat resulting from the treatment:

– residues from waste incinerators, metallurgical residues;

– residue from sewage;

– Industrial Slags from Waste Incineration;

– paint residues etc.

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I.2. Conclusion on recycling.

Problems generated by recycling not only practical meanings, she raised and

theoretical issues. Recycling, analyzed separately, automatically generates.

efficiency, be it material or environmental nature.

In the U.S., for example, are public disapproved of acts of unannounced

inspections inspectors issued warnings for failure to recycle. Recycling efficiency

must combine economic and ecological effects, but also comfort, including a

cosmetic nature.

One of the most efficient cities in the world in waste treatment is Amsterdam.

Holland Capital is the incineration of waste generation. Thus, in 1885, opened its

first station deşurilor for incineration in 1917, to use without burning furnaces

exhaust combustion gases into the atmosphere, is treated as waste by 150,000

tonnes/year.

In 1969, for a quantity of 500,000 tonnes of waste per year, the city of

Amsterdam was brought operŃtiunea dust separation, and in 1993 to about

800,000 tonnes of waste was started cleaning operation GEZE combustion.

Finally, in 2006, Dutch authorities have applied for 500,000 tonnes of waste per

year, output design solution.

The energy efficiency of waste recycling plant owned by the City of

Amsterdam is in 2007, 32%, among the highest in the world

This system allows waste incineration Netherlands does not have hardly any

storage space. In addition, technology used in the atmosphere prevents the release

of particulates and greenhouse gases, providing the city, while a stream of income

from garbage collection and sales of raw materials post-incineration. For about 10

years, the rate of waste incineration, the cost linked to the price of AEB operator,

was one of the smallest on the market.

Argument is linked to the mission statement of the operator of waste in

Amsterdam, AEB

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, which says that to be the best raw materials processing, with

emphasis on generating greater benefits as reported maximum environmental and

efficiency and lower costs for waste, creating added value for stakeholders, we

rely on mutual respect and dedication of our staff

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.

II. Considerations on the management and recycling of WEEE.

II.1. In the era of domination of the consumer society and globalization, the

European Commission Directives identified among the priority objectives of its

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Energy Afval bedrijf (Waste and Energy Company), sole shareholder is the Municipality of

Amsterdam www.amsterdam.info.

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www.amsterdam.info.

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policy, conservation, human health and the prudent and rational use of natural

resources. WEEE recycling activity is one of these strategic.

Each device that is part of the WEEE consists of a combination of

components that contain different substances, some hazardous, on the one hand,

may be secondary raw materials that can be reused, and on the other hand, may be

an important source of environmental pollution.

The most dangerous substances are contained lead, mercury, cadmium,

chromium, chlorinated or brominated substances.

The WEEE recycling process encountered several types of waste electrical

and electronic appliances such as computers, monitors, printers and scanners, they

conveniently containing materials to be recycled into new products.

Electronic equipment is composed of hundreds of different materials, these

materials often with very high values such as gold, platinum, silver, copper, etc..

WEEE recycling activity revealed a very dangerous issue with significant

impact on the environment. While some substances produced by nature, such as

chromium, a harmless naturally occurring material, when used for making

electrical, electronic and home appliances, have resulted in the formation and

disposal of hazardous compounds. These substances are highly toxic, are harmful

to both humans and the environment if the car.

In the manufacture of electrical, electronic and home appliances are used

more types of plastics. Through the recycling of WEEE would be that stirenii

(ABS, ASA, SAN, PS, HIPS) and polypropylene (PP) to be considered a priority

for improving recycling plastics since they constitute about 70% of total plastic

used.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) are of special municipal

waste streams.

WEEE means electrical and electronic equipment which the holder discards,

intends or is required to throw them, and all components, subassemblies and

consumables as part of the equipment.

Recycling waste is generally carried out in five stages:

– a collection,

– a transport;

– an actual prorpiu Recycling,

– a recyclables Recovery,

– a non-recyclable waste elimination.

WEEE collection is done by three methods:

a. direct collection by the municipal collection points – the waste is brought

directly by individuals or collected by local authorities through campaigns like

"Great disposal"

b. distributor take-back system – promoting change EEE new and old

products and offering discounts if you buy one that teaches old product distributor.

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c. producer take-back system – mechanism from the system identical to the

distributor take-back in this case only campaigns are financed by the manufacturer.

Transport WEEE from collection points to recycle prorpiu itself is provided

by local authorities by the sanitation companies, the collection of waste from

municipal collection points or by private companies, the collection from the

distributor or manufacturer.

Prorpiu actual recycling is done by operators licensed by the Ministry of

Environment and Forests of the 10 categories according to the above. The actual

recycling results in two types of materials: those for recovery / reuse and for

disposal.

II.2. Regarding Romania, it is possible that the WEEE collection targets can

not be achieved, as the following considerations:

– WEEE should be collected now and in future years based on EEE placed on

the market years ago, that in the early 90s and only now beginning to enter the

waste stream because of the precarious financial situation of the population

At that time the amount of EEE sold was very small compared with the

countries of Western Europe, one third respectively, also must take into account

the technical possibilities much lower in Romania and the fact that systems

– Almost half of the population lives in rural and sparsely equipped with

appliances, also with EEE poteŃtialul renewal is very low because of the

possibilities of limited material, it is also very difficult to organize WEEE

collection systems in rural areas;

– public awareness regarding the importance of separate collection of WEEE

requires a long period of time, which affects the rate of collection. The existence

of parallel pathways of dealers who deal with WEEE collection makes it more

difficult to reach collection rates down.

Conclusions şi proposals

As far as it concerned, propose and support the development of a detailed

study about the management of WEEE in Romania during 2011-2016.

The study will be conducted by a team of Romanian experts specialized in

environmental policy, forecasts, technology and finance and will seek data on:

– current situation and future changes in legislation in relation to the

collection and recycling of WEEE;

– forecast WEEE generation and collection;

– dismantling industry forecast development-packing-sorting WEEE;

– forecast the quantities and types of waste plastic from WEEE and regions

development areas;

– analysis and collaborative solutions with the company that took over

responsibilities for annual collection, reuse, recycling and recovery of WEEE, and

this is very important because companies are obliged to ensure the organization

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and financing the collection, acquisition, transport costs from the collector to

rciclator and treatment costs;

– recyclable materials forecast market developments in Romania with direct

references to products that will be obtained and correlated with the construction

market in Romania;

– proposed investment plan;

– cost-benefit analysis economic and financial analysis;

– analyzing the possibility of accessing funds for the investment;

– the preliminary environmental impact assessment;

– assessment of the agreements and deadlines for obtaining permits for the

operation and required documentation to be prepared and submitted to obtain

permits and agreements.

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