LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Issues surrounding the environment affect us all, so to effectively combat these problems, it’s vital that we work together. That’s the view of André Vonk, co-Founder and Managing Director of European Cleaning Machines Recycling (ECMR), who tells us how recycling your old cleaning machines could make a big difference.
Most environmental problems are crossing borders, therefore combating problems such as air and water pollution can only be done by countries working together. A European approach to environmental issues is not only obvious because many of these issues are cross-border; it is also in the interest of a free and fair competition as well other impacts, such as creating new employment.
A large part of the environmental legislation is the result of European regulations.
The most recent programme is the Seventh Environment Action Programme, which covers 2012- 2020. The European Commission (EC) presented the programme under the title: ‘Living Well Within the Limits of Our Planet’. The programme was subsequently approved in 2013. The Seventh Environment Action Programme is focused on some specific topics:
Climate Change The European approach to climate change focuses on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases
and the control of these emissions through a monitoring system.
Sustainable Development EU policy is aimed at sustainable development. This spearhead thus extends to other areas such as economic and social policies.
Waste Management Preventing the volume of waste through recycling is seen as the best solution.
Air Pollution In addition to greenhouse gas mitigation, European environmental legislation is aiming to improve air quality, since air pollution can lead to health and environmental damage.
Water Protection
And Management The EU is trying to prevent pollution and promote sustainable water use to improve the state of aquatic ecosystems and keep the effects of floods or even drought as low as possible.
Conservation And Biodiversity To protect endangered species, the EU has established the Natura 2000 network.
Soil Protection Problems such as soil erosion, landslides and soil pollution fall under this theme. Soil degradation is a serious problem in Europe, which is caused by agriculture and forestry on the basis of inappropriate methods, industry, tourism, urban growth and construction activities. Soil, nature, water and air protection are therefore the key points in the management of waste.
EUROPEAN WASTE PROBLEM The waste mountain in Europe is growing extensively. The EU each year produces three billion tonnes of waste. The vast majority of the waste in the EU is still sent to landfill or burned. The environmental damage is substantial and consists mainly of air, water and soil pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
EUROPEAN WASTE
MANAGEMENT POLICY In the EU, waste prevention is seen as a pressing issue, and it aims to reduce waste levels by promoting better use of natural resources and sustainable consumption patterns. The Seventh Environment Action Programme is therefore a high priority area.
The European approach to waste management is based on the following three principles: waste prevention, recycling and reuse, and improving and monitoring of final demolition waste. The EU strives for a circular economy, where recycling is the norm and the amount of waste is reduced considerably. In 2030, three quarters of the waste would have to be re-used. The EC has stressed that boosting recycling would also create around 50,000 new jobs by 2020.
In addition, European laws have been implemented to regulate the processing of waste. There is an awful lot of attention to packaging, vehicles, batteries and electrical
20 | INDUSTRY COMMENT
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