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13Раздел IV. СОЦИОЛОГИЯ
УДК 316.334.5
«ECOSYNERGY SYSTEM» AS A NEW SOLUTION FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT'S FIELD
S. Mihajlovic
Ljubljana, Slovenia
The European Union as a whole, societies and individuals, ecologists are looking for a solution to the conflict between rising bunch of waste and a clean living environment, an essential condition for our survival. The European Union Regulation declares that the produced raw material has 4 to 6 times useful value in the circular economy (industry - consumer - processing - industry) before the molecular structure of the raw material changes that it no longer has any useful value. Slovenia demonstrates a high level of waste recycling culture even in comparison with other EU countries, however, it is possible that we are dealing with accounting deficiencies in this case. We need completely new «economic-sociological-ethical» approach, which will use the existing market economy system to relieve and completely clean the environment, using the power and consciousness of the individual, trade, services, and industry. A model of the «Eco-synergetic system» was proposed. This model intigrates vertically institutions that are responsible for waste management, the industry that emits waste raw materials and designates food and non-food consumer goods with the Certificate of extended producer responsibility in a synergic relationship with a consumer who is through a trade and service activity for the selected and collected waste fractions will create new conditions for store, industry and service activity.
Keywords: European Union, Slovenia, waste, environment, raw materials, circular economy, «EcoSynergy System».
In March 2016, the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) issued a press release stating that Slovenia recycled most waste among all EU Member States in 2014. Almost half of all generated municipal waste in Slovenia has been recycled, while the European average is only 28 %. The same mention a recognized international network that
© Mihajlovic S., 2018
seeks to efficiently manage waste, Zero Waste Europe. It even highlights this Slovenia as the most successful member in the implementation of the waste hierarchy. According to all available statistics, Slovenia should, on the basis of waste management, be at the very top of the European Union.
However, Slovenia is not a European miracle. A large part of the successes in the field of waste management can be attributed to tailor-made statistics. Since half of the utility services estimate the amount of collected utility waste only «on the eye», the official statistics on the amount of generated waste are only approximate.
It is even worse by recording further treatment of municipal waste. In Slovenia, we do not have a system that would record how much waste has been disposed of, how many recycled and how many exported to the rest of the world. Statistics are therefore unreliable. On the basis of these incorrect statistics, Slovenia behaves with seemingly good results, rather than adopting measures for better waste management.
Between 2008 and 2012, according to Eurostat data, Slovenia almost incomparably reduced the amount of generated municipal waste by incredible 33.2 %, which was more than five times better than the European average, which was 6.3 %. The amount of collected mixed municipal waste - that is, those that the households do not separate -fell even more: for drastic 42.2 %.
During this period, the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning did not take any significant measures that could explain the marked decline in the amount of generated waste. The Ministry did not adequately record the quantity or structure of the generated municipal waste, and therefore can not know the factors that could influence on the decline in generated municipal waste, notes the Court of Audit in the audit report issued in September 2015.
A certain proportion of the decline in a produced waste can undoubtedly be attributed to a decrease in gross domestic product and a consequent decrease in the purchasing power of households due to the crisis. The decline is also influenced by an increase in house composting in Slovenia from 2011 onwards.
However, due to these factors, the quantity of produced waste could decrease by up to 6%, according to the Court of Audit. According to statistics, it is lower by 33.2 %. So how can we explain 329
the decline for the remaining 27 % points? The only possible explanation is the following: in fact, we are not so much better than the rest of Europe.
In 2009, the Court of Audit concluded that in Slovenia utility companies and utilities mostly do not weight collected mixed municipal waste. The amount of collected waste is only estimated on the basis of an approximate estimate of the completeness of waste bins with mixed waste and the number of their removals.
Six years later, in 2015, the Court of Audit again found that as much as 42.5 % of all municipal services estimate the volume of collected mixed municipal waste «on the eye», while an additional two percent of services determine the amount of waste by both weighing and approximate estimates. The consequence of such a guessing of the amount of generated municipal waste is incorrect and unrealistic statistics not only about the amount of generated waste but about the treatment of waste in general, writes the Court of Audit.
The current system of registering the waste management system does not work, which can be seen in the quick review of various waste management statistics in Slovenia. For example, Eurostat states that in 2008 Slovenia produced 542 kilograms of waste per capita, while the Slovenian Statistical Office states that the average Slovenian produced only 453 kilograms of municipal waste in the same year.
Consequently, all further statistics are incorrect. If we do not know how much municipal waste has been generated, how do we know how many percentages we recycle, how many of them are deposited, and how much we burn them? Can we trust the data of the European Statistical Office, which states that the level of municipal waste recycling in Slovenia was 36 % in 2014? Or perhaps the latest press release by Eurostat, which ensures that we recycle 49 % of all municipal waste?
For many years, Slovenia has been building operational waste management programs and estimates of waste treatment on weak foundations: statistics on the quantities of produced and processed waste were at best approximate. Although irregularities are aware of both the ministry and the Court of Audit, improvements are being implemented extremely slowly. Current estimates that Slovenia is the best in Europe in the separation or recycling of municipal waste, so
we can not take it seriously. The real situation will only be revealed at the introduction of a record-keeping system that will actually ensure the traceability of the municipal waste route and the correctness of the information. Only on the basis of accurate data, however, we can begin to take measures that will improve the waste management in the country to that level, which we are supposed to achieve according to the modified statistics already.
This transformation has to go beyond waste management and has to be embedded into a wider framework - the circular economy. The need to transition to a more circular economy is recognised as an essential element in developing a sustainable, low carbon, resource efficient and competitive economy. Using the concepts of circularity helps progression towards a sustainable future.
As outlined above, our current modes of production and consumption remain overwhelmingly based on the linear principle. Resources are extracted, processed, used, and ultimately for the most part discarded as waste. At the end of such a cycle, waste is typically disposed of by incineration (thermal utilisation) or landfiling. In both cases materials are withdrawn from circulation or destroyed (even if thermal utilisation does at least produce energy).
In 2012, the 28 Member States:
• consumed 5 billion tonnes of material of which 80% (4 billion tonnes) came from virgin materials and only 20 % (1 billion tonnes) came from secondary raw materials recovered from the waste stream [1] - giving a recirculation rate of 20 %.
• disposed of 2.5 billion tonnes of waste, 42 % (1.2 billion tonnes) went to landfill.
However, such a linear economic model can only function if limitless resources are available to satisfy endless demand. Global demand is growing steadily, while the availability of both non-renewable and renewable raw materials is finite. A strictly linear economy will inevitably encounter limits.
Central to the circular economy concept is the notion that the value of materials and products is kept as high as possible for as long as possible. This helps to minimise the need for the input of new material and energy, thereby reducing environmental pressure linked to the life-cycle of products, from resource Towards a circular econo-
my - waste management in the EU 17 extraction, through production and use to end-of-life.
The concept covers all aspects of economic activity, from resource extraction through production, storage and consumption, ending with disposal or ideally recycling. The reduce, re-use and recycle approach goes a long way towards this concept, although waste avoidance is prioritised [2]. The idea is to close cycles to turn waste back into a resource (in this connection we also speak of «second-sourcing»). But if this idea is to be put into practice as effectively as possible, another earlier step is needed: to take account of later recycling already at the design stage.
The fundamental idea of the circular economy has given rise to various currents and variants featuring smaller or larger differences in concept, approach and scope. These include the circular economy of the new efficient waste management in the EcoSynergy system.
EU countries have approved a series of measures with a new legislation (from this summer 2018) to help the European Union become a leading force in the field of waste management and recycling. The rules contain concrete targets for the recycling of municipal waste, separate collection of waste and the gradual elimination of waste disposal.
The new waste legislation will help to prevent the generation of waste, where this will not be possible, it will significantly enhance the recycling of municipal waste and packaging waste. The disposal of waste will gradually be abolished, while the use of economic instruments, such as the widespread responsibility of the producer, will be more evident in the European Commission's press release.
The new rules contain concrete targets for the recycling of municipal waste, separate collection of waste and the gradual elimination of waste disposal. According to the new, municipal waste recycling should increase to 55 % by 2025 and to 65 % by 2035.The rules also specify recycling rates for all packaging, plastics, wood, ferrous metals, aluminum, glass and paper and paperboard. Hazardous waste from households will need to be collected separately after 2022, biological waste after 2023 and textiles after 2025. As the commission pointed out, waste disposal in a circular economy is not sensible and it can pollute water, soil and air. By 2035, the amount of municipal waste will have to be reduced to 10 % or less of the total amount of
municipal waste. Manufacturers will play an important role in this transition because they will be responsible for their products when they become waste [3].
The EU also announced and published a recent review of the use of European waste management regulations in Europe and identified 14 Member States for the risk of failing to achieve the 50 % recycling goal by 2020 - when it comes to municipal waste.
Due to poor waste management, 14 Member States will have to pay a fine of EUR 42,000 per day [4].
The existing waste management systems do not follow the market situation, despite the increase in technical and technological capacities, they are unable to reduce the amount of waste in the environment.
Even with the hypothesis that the waste management sector receives unlimited financial resources in terms of technical and technological waste treatment, the trend of the environmental burden on waste can not be reduced.
A completely new «economic-sociological-ethical» approach is required, which will use the existing market economy system to relieve and completely clean the environment, using the power and consciousness of the individual, trade, services, and industry.
Without a new model that will distribute the responsibility of the individual and the industry as responsible for creating waste fractions and place a person as a user and protector of the environment in such a role that with his lifestyle he will affect the family, industry and service activity as an informed subject and the generator of changes in its environment, there is no future.
EcoSynergy System is a global solution to the global increase in waste in the environment due to an increasing population, industry and consumption [5].
The new system vertically connects utility companies, country institutions that are responsible for waste management, the industry that emits waste raw materials and designates food and non-food consumer goods with the Certificate of extended producer responsibility in a synergic relationship with a consumer who is through a trade and service activity for the selected and collected waste fractions rewarded and will with his own way of life set a new conditions for store, industry and service activity.
EcoSynergy System unites international developers of various professional profiles, whose goal is to develop a new global waste management system and to connect all segments in society to a circular economy [5].
We took into account changes in consumer habits in the last 100 years of the transformation of a store, food and non-food industry, health and environmental changes, logistic requirements and geopolitical relationships in the world as well as social networks and social movements of the individual as a buyer, producer and socially conscious subject.
EcoSynergy System has developed the responsiveness of the population and industry with entering in our system with pure waste fractions of up to 97-98 % of the purity of the input waste fractions, and 86% of the repeatability of customer returns [EcoSynergy System, 2013].
All the food and non-food industries that produce consumer goods without the inclusion of clear messages to consumers that their products are nutritionally healthy, recyclable, environmentally harmless and encourage consumers to be environmentally conscious at home, at work and in all environments where they are flexible - will lose its market share and reputation by customers.
The trend of recognizing the importance of the relationship to the environment in the strategy of multinational companies is a necessity because consumers rank lower that kind of companies that are not environmentally responsible and in the long run lose their market position.
Slovenia was selected as a test country among European countries, and in January 2018 we started with a pilot project that showed better results than expected and where we started to introduce the Certificate of Extended Producer Responsibility for the Food and Non-Food Industry in the Circular Economy as the first in the European Union.
After 2020, global analytics is reasonably foreseeing a raw material crisis on consumer goods, changes in environmental legislation, an increase in ecological taxes, and a more radical attitude of the population to polluting companies.
The state-of-the-art plants built in the world in recent years for waste sorting, despite high technology and robotics of automation
that separates usable waste fractions on the conveyor belt, do not reach the exponential curve of waste growth, that is generated daily in metropolitan and industrial cities.
Waste management companies are moving away from goals of the amounts of recycled waste materials.
The scissors between reality and desires after a clean environment are widening.
Only the change in the individual's consciousness as a creative being as well as a consumer can with the way of life change the economy of society, ethics, and the value system.
We only need to show him/her how - everything else is made by the economy of small numbers and tiny steps.
We can conclude with the quote of the author Ales Kandorfer: «How big must be the kefir enzyme if all oceans are milk sea? Very small».
Only the question of time is when kefir will be created.
References
1. WRAP. Economic Growth Potential of More Circular Economies. 2015. URL: http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/
Economic growth potential of more circular economies.pdf (accessed: 01.10.2018).
2. European Commission. Ex-post evaluation of certain waste stream directives.Final report. 2014. URL: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ waste/pdf/target_review/Final%20Report%20Ex-Post.pdf (accessed: 01.10.2018).
3. Koncno: proizvajalci bodo odgovorni za svoje izdelke, ko ti postanejo odpadki. 2018. URL: https://secure.24ur.com/novice/cas-za-zemljo/koncno-proizvajalci-bodo-odgovorni-za-svoje-izdelke-ko-ti-postanejo-odpadki.html (accessed: 01.10.2018).
4. Dubravko Ponos: Prijeti nam kazna od 42.000 EUR zbog loseg gos-podarenja otpadom. 2018. URL: https://novac.jutarnji.hr/aktualno/ dubravko-ponos-prijeti-nam-kazna-od-42000-eura-dnevno-zbog-loseg-gospodarenja-otpadom/7909716/ (accessed: 01.10.2018).
5. EcoSynergy System. URL: https://ecosynergysystem.si/sl/domov/ (accessed: 01.10.2018).
«ЭКО-СИНЕРГЕТИЧЕСКАЯ» СИСТЕМА
КАК НОВОЕ РЕШЕНИЕ ДЛЯ СФЕРЫ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ОТХОДАМИ
С. Михайлович
г. Любляна, Словения
Европейский Союз в целом, сообщества и конкретные люди, экологи ищут пути разрешения противоречия между растущим объемом отходов и чистой средой обитания необходимым условием нашего выживания. ЕС декларирует, что произведенное сырье демонстрирует в 4-6 раз большую полезность в экономике, организованной по принципу цикла (промышленность - потребитель - переработка - промышленность) до того, как молекулярная структура сырья изменится настолько, что оно более не будет иметь ценности. Словения демонстрирует высокий уровень культуры переработки отходов даже по сравнению с другими странами ЕС; однако, возможно, здесь мы имеем дело с недостатками учета. Мы нуждаемся в принципиально новом «экономико-социологе -этическом» подходе, который сможет использовать существующую систему рыночной экономики, чтобы очистить окружающую среду, используя как сознание личности, так и силу сферы торговли, услуг и промышленности. Предложена модель «Эко-синергетической системы», которая интегрирует коммунальные предприятия, государственные учреждения, отвечающие за управление отходами, отрасли, и требует дополнительно сертифицировать продовольственные и непродовольственные потребительские товары посредством принимаемой производителем расширенной ответственности. Производитель рассматривается в этой модели как находящийся в синергетических отношениях с потребителем, которые через сферу торговли и сервисную деятельность, направленную на утилизацию отходов, создают новые условия в сфере производства, торговли и предоставления услуг.
Ключевые слова: Европейский Союз, Словения, отходы, окружающая среда, сырье, циклическая экономика, «эко-синергетическая система».
