GreenCo-Kiev

The city is our wood. Used cardboard packing waste can cover the requirements for materials of modern paper plant for 90 %.

Separate collection

It is not the slogan, it is a real state of affairs in civilized Europe, the group of the Ukrainian journalists was personally convinced, having visited capacities of the company Stora Enso Barcelona located in the suburb of Barcelona. The modern enterprise which lets out the qualitative cardboard, practically completely provides itself with materials at the expense of paper waste of the city. And the biggest part of this waste is made from packaging, which is already used by consumers. That packaging in which people of Ukraine have already got used to buy milk, dairy products, juice and by which are, as a result, filled up not only the dumps, but also the environment of our daily dwelling.

And do you know why such things occur? The true moment is that in Europe (and not only) the private business is engaged in packing waste, on the one hand they take care of the cleanness of streets, squares, beaches, and on another hand, that the cost of this work is not becoming burdensome to the society. In Ukraine the sphere of packing waste treatment has turned to profitable state business. This work is cost to the society a hundred millions grivnas. It is not a secret, that the part of this means is settled in the bottomless pockets of government officials, continue to tell us that we will not cope with thirteen’s billion tons of saved up waste, which pollute vicinities of mega cities without them, their enterprises and plentiful financing of the country.

In any case it is also necessary to apply the civilized system of waste treatment in Ukraine. The Tetra Park Company will acquaint the journalists with the main principles of its work.

Business undertakes to solve the problem

It is very strange. On the one hand, in Ukraine continually try to enter the "tax" from manufacturers and importers of packaging and the goods in packaging, the tax, with the help of which they have the means for the collection of all 100% of this packaging after its use by consumers. At the same time this means is not used for the waste collection, and best this means is used for the purchase of new capacities for waste recycling, i.e. where it is possible to receive profit.

But for the processing, it is necessary to collect something at first, and collect separately. Just in this sphere there is so-called, failure of the market, the essence of which is the expenses for separate collection, which in general exceed the cost of received materials as the result. We can not speak about any effective struggle against the pollution by packing waste (or other their kinds), without solving this issue.

How the Europe does it

It is necessary to tell, that Spain cannot be considered as the standard of separate waste collection neither by quantity of the waste nor by its processing. And the legislative base is democratic enough in the sphere of the waste treatment. The population, on the mentality is similar to the inhabitants of Ukraine, the experts consider. For this reason the Ukrainian journalists were invited to Spain not Germany to study the European experience. Germany processes 65 % (in Spain - only 32 %) of all packaging waste after the consumer and the law provides severe punishment for those who ignores requirements of separate waste collection. At first we should reach Spain level.

By the way, only in Barcelona the separate waste collection is carried out in 30 thousand places (on the basis of: one place for 500 inhabitants), in each of which five various containers are installed. In the yellow container the population puts easy packaging (cardboard, aluminum, plastic); in dark blue - glass; green - paper for recycling; brown - organic chemistry; grey - another waste. The subsequent sorting of contents of these containers by special waste sorting enterprises allow to receive homogeneous structured materials, so desired for the industry. Only small part of waste is burnt (in Spain the specification for 2007 made only 5 % from all collected waste) or is taken out on garbage polygons. Hardly someone will challenge the utility of separate collection, but whom and how, and mainly for what money they will do this?

The tax or "the Green point"

Of course it is possible to impose one more tax from package producers or the products in packing and to finance the separate collection and sorting using this means. However the Europe has refused from this system. It demands the big financial expenses. There is another system, which works on the principle "who litters, that one pays for cleaning".

The most practiced variant: a number of the enterprises create the assistant - the enterprise for management of their waste. If this manager uses a license sign "Green point" in his work, it means, that he enters into the association of the European organization of the waste management which works according to the instruction 94/62/ЕС, accepted by Euro Parliament. The instruction has become the main document in the sphere of the packing treatment and its waste and today is included into the national legislation almost all EU member states.

The organization of processing of the package waste with the help of special enterprise of the waste treatment manages in three-four times more cheaply, than by means of tax system. In Barcelona the Ukrainian journalists got acquainted with the principles of the work of one of such companies - “Ecoembalazh”. It collects the means from the producers of packing or products in packing and directs them on separate collection and sorting of the waste of easy packing (cardboard, aluminum and plastic). In particular, the means go on the payment of the city authorities of waste collection, acquisition of yellow containers, cars for their removal and on payment of sorting plants. Partial indemnification of spent means become the cost of received materials which becomes the property of “Ecoembalazh” and then is bought by the industrial enterprises in accordance with the market price. Thus in Spain is gathered 90 % of all used packing.

Thus the producers basically can not sell their goods if their packing can not be processed or if they do not pay for this processing, i.e. there is no sign "Green point" on their packing. For example, Tetra Pak Company guarantees, that there are the technologies, which allow processing the combined cardboard packing. In this situation the supervising link is the trade which will not put the goods on a shelf if there is no the badge which proof that it producer is the participant of "Green point" system. It is the crime to sell the packing without corresponding mark. The penalty can be nearly 600 thousand euro in this case. The alternative of participation in "the Green point" can be construction of one’s own system of package waste return, which was produced.

Collection and sorting

It is not enough to install the containers, it is necessary to teach householders to throw out the waste in a corresponding container. The practice shows, that the time does its business. If in 1998 in separate waste collection of easy packing was involved about 5 million Spaniards, then in 2006 is involved more than 41 million. At first housewives were asked to leave on a ladder platform separately used packing, empties, paper for recycling which were cleaned by the neighbor-pensioner. Then they were informed, that neighbor could not do this, because it is very heavy to carry all this waste in the container, and have suggested doing this by themselves, and gave them for the convenience the special packages under color of container.

Certainly, Spain is not Germany; here you will not get the fine if you simply throw out the package with waste in the grey container (for the other waste). Here it is count on consciousness and bring it up. Plus some economic stimulus: the cost of grey container’s removal for the concrete house manages more expensively, than any another with the waste divided on fractions.

The color of the container defines the further destiny of its contents. The yellow container with easy cardboard, aluminum and plastic packing the city administration carries on waste sorting plant. (In October, 2006 in Spain worked 91 such enterprise). Than the additional sorting of waste is took place. In a room, which has the size of football ground, there are a lot of huge sorting drums, between which the transport bands are circling; there the devices of spectral analysis are installed. All this plus two persons at the conveyor beginning (their task to separate the inclusions obviously mismatching to the yellow container by the purpose or large-sized) allows not only to separate cardboard packing from plastic and aluminum tares but also to divide, for example, plastic by the sizes and specific density. As a result on the exit the sorting line gives the bales, practically, with the homogeneous contents, for example PET- bottles with the capacity of 1,5 l or beer aluminum jar of 0,5 l.

Than sorted and pressed materials are processed. The capacities of the processing enterprises of Spain can process 60 thousand tons of the waste of easy packing. For the country it is quite enough. Therefore France, where there are no enough similar capacities, directs the packing waste for processing to Spain.

Cellulose separate from the foil

But even the cardboard packing collected in bales cannot be considered as materials, which is ready to direct use. Not casually it is gathered in the yellow container where aluminum jars and plastic bottles adjoin to it. The matter is that modern cardboard packing has the combined structure. The aluminum, cardboard and plastic is used for its producing. On the cardboard plant the technology of detaching the aluminum, foil and plastic is used, for picking out the cellulose. Only after that we received three separate components on the exit, each of which becomes a high-grade material for production.

By the way, the similar technology of deep division of the combined cardboard packing is used by Ukrainian paper enterprises thanks to Tetra Pak Company. Their capacities allow increasing the volumes of picking processing for some years forward.

Today the basic barrier for waste processing of easy cardboard packing in recyclable materials is the absence of system of their collection. In Ukraine, there are no common system and infrastructure of separate collection of recyclable materials. Therefore the socially responsible companies work hard for the organization of pilot projects of separate collection of recyclable materials, and, in particular, cardboard packing.

At present Tetra Pak company and partners actively co-operate with waste sorting plant "GreenCo", municipal services of Mirgorod, the association companies “Ukrvtorma”, develop the educational program for children, promote the creation of the national program for formation of a corresponding infrastructure of collection of recyclable materials and workings out of legislative base.

The state has no time to solve this problem not formally but really. During five years the parliament has not found the time to approve the bill of packing and the packing waste, developed by the industry according to experience of the European legislation in the sphere of the reference with the packing and the packing waste.

The comments of the experts

Enrisque Iban’es, the manager of external economic relations of “Ekombalazh” company

- “Ekombalazh” is a non-profitable company which has 12 thousand founders of business structures which represent all industrial sectors engaged in the product packing. There are 55% of producers of the goods in packing, trade enterprises and distributors - 20 %, producers of packing - 20 %, the enterprises of waste processing and other organizations - 5 %. The company takes the second place in Europe by the quantity of founders.

Introduction of "the Green point”, which is a part of the all-European system "Proeurop", in Spain has begun since 1996 when the corresponding legislation was adopted. Today in the county 30 kg of the waste of the easy packing, which is produced at the rate of one inhabitant per year, more than 10 kg of waste collects the «Green point» system. A part of them gets for the processing by other channels and 20 % are lost.

The citu authorities of Barcelona collects the waste of easy packing, and enterprise "Ecoembalazh" pays to it for the provided service. Also the company takes responsibility for the founders, goods’ in packing producers, that the waste will be collected and processed. The expenses are in three-four smaller than if the similar works were carried out by means of tax collection for packing use.

José Sabater, the director of the department for the waste treatment of Barcelona city

- The city administration is responsible for the waste collection in its territory. The financing of works is carried out partially by the state budget, at the expense of payments of “Ecoembalazh” company, government grants (they compensate investments of EU which have cancelled recently), private investments. The part of expenses of the budget is covered by means of energy sale, received from the burning of waste, which was collected. The main postulate of the European community is "who pollutes, that pays". On the other hand, Europeans try to build the economically grounded system. “Ecoembalazh” is not the enterprise, it is the fund. Its function is to gather the means from the enterprises, which deliver their products on the market and from this means the fund pays for separate collection and sorting.

Victor Markos, the manager of Tetra Pak Spain Ecology Company

- In due time in Spain 15 bills have been developed for the resolving of the issue of the waste treatment and it took two years for their discussion. The industrial enterprises decide how they can organize the performance of the legislation’s requirements. For the organization of waste processing it is necessary to divide them with the help of additional means. And additional means do not cover the cost of received materials. It demands an additional investment of money from the industrial enterprises.

Vladimir Slabiy, the chairman of UkrPEC coalition

- The "failure" of the market of the packing waste is observed since the moment when the consumer has got rid of the used packing until when the homogeneous waste by its structure is concentrated in one place. Today there is no country where the conditions for the profitable activity of collection and sorting of packing waste were created. Therefore the state forces the enterprises to be engaged in the decision of the problem of decreasing the negative influence of waste on environment with the help of legislation.

In Ukraine the problem of packing waste recycling (PW) became apparent by the end 90th. But all these years the state structures unsuccessfully try to find and realize the own model of system of the packing waste treatment. Moreover, the situation with the resolving of the problem of processing and recycling packing waste shows the full ignoring of the experience of European countries in which high level of protection of environment is provided considering society’s minimum expenses.

In the base of the European system of waste treatment there is non-profitable and non-state operator created by the participants of the market. The status of non-profitableness of the operator provides with the performance of the volumes of processing and recycling packing waste, established in the country with the least expenses. The interest of participants of the market in minimization of expenses is obvious, as the last influence the cost price of producing goods in packing and, accordingly, on competitiveness. Also it is clear, that not state status of the operator makes impossible the no-purpose use of the received means.

Only the adoption of law of Ukraine "About packing and packing waste", based on the experience of European countries, and then creation on its basis the effective system of collection, processing and recycling of the packing waste can solve the problem of their negative influence on environment with the least expenses of the society.

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