With the draft Act the new EU Waste Directive, which prescribes a waste handling hierarchy or waste handling preferences, will be adopted into Estonian law. “In the handling of waste we must begin to abide to the maximum degree possible to the assessment of the life cycle or the principle to reduce the effect of waste handling on the environment to a minimum,” said Peeter Eek, Director of the Waste Department of the Ministry of the Environment. In order that the effect of waste on us and our surroundings would be as small as possible, the main objective of amending the legislation is to direct initial attention to the prevention and reduction of the generation of waste. This is followed by preparations for reuse, recycling of the material and other forms of recovery (including energy use or burning of waste and use as backfill). “The most undesirable form of waste processing is the removal of waste, which in Estonia means the dumping of waste in landfills,” noted Eek. “This practice requires a significant reduction." Amendments to the Waste Act foresee several new definitions, the most important of which are recycling, and stopping the generation of by-products and waste. “The last item in the list means that, for example, in the case of certain types of scrap metal, scrap paper, plastic waste, etc., if quality and monitoring standards have been met, then they can be grouped as products. This type of change promotes the recycling of waste,” explained Eek. The draft Act also sets a 50% recycling target value for 2020 for several types of municipal waste related materials, such as paper, glass, metals and plastics. The recycling obligation for construction and demolition waste is 70% of the waste created. “Meeting both target values will require a great deal of effort, but they can be achieved,” said Eek. Fulfilling the objectives of the Waste Act also requires the implementation of several more expansive forms of economic assistance, above all in the form of environmental charges. The efficiency of the organisation of green public procurements must also be improved and all other opportunities used which help to prevent waste and increase reuse. The draft Act to amend the Waste Act will be submitted to the Riigikogu. |
