The Hindu Business Line : Waste management — A question of mind over matter

European nations are using a combination of factors — political will, innovative ideas, awareness-raising campaigns, legislation, penalties, financial incentives and citizens’ participation — to keep their cities clean. More than all this, it is the right mindset and attitude adjustment that is the continent’s most effective weapon.

The ‘throwaway mentality’ must go.

Mohan Murti

I was among 16,000 people in July this year, attending the legendary four-day open-air music festival on the Gurten hill near Bern, Switzerland. The weather was terrible, with constant rain and thunder-storms but the mix of energetic big-time entertainers and local pop heroes magically brought the sun to our hearts.

As the open-air music festival concluded and the spectators prepared to leave, I noticed that there was absolutely no litter-strewn fields — thanks to the introduction of reusable glasses on which a deposit is charged and the so-called “trash heroes”, who are responsible for cleaning up and raising visitors’ awareness.

While reusable glasses are now standard at German football stadiums, they have been recently introduced in Switzerland. Although they are slightly more expensive than disposable cups, they lead to a considerable reduction in post-event cleaning costs.

European nations such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland are using a combination of factors — political will, innovative ideas, awareness-raising campaigns, legislation, penalties, financial incentives and citizens’ participation — to keep their cities clean, tidy and sparkling. The following overview provides information on what is happening and how several of our Indian cities can imbibe.

Wealth from Waste

It was in the 1980s that the political doctrine of the so-called waste pecking order — “avoid-reuse-dispose-of” — gained acceptance.

In the present day, the waste industry in Germany employs more than 500,000 people — from scientists, engineers to administrative staff and refuse collectors.

Various universities have Waste Management faculties, and there is a separate vocational qualification in waste management. Waste industry in Germany has an annual turnover in excess of €50 billion .

In Germany, more than half of municipal and production waste is recycled. In some areas, for example, packaging, more than 80 per cent is recycled. Eighty six per cent of construction waste is now recovered. Figures for the total volumes of waste recovered make impressive reading: Twenty eight million tonnes of municipal waste, 30 million tonnes of production and industrial waste and 163 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste. Nearly three tonnes of waste is recovered for each resident in Germany.

Impressive proof that environmental protection is making a significant contribution to an economy’s value added chain.

For India, if the top 20 cities decide to even follow a fraction of the German example, we can create employment for no less than one million people and a multi-billion euro industry.

Catch ’em Young

Environmental education is a serious part of the syllabus for children in primary and secondary schools. There are a combination of activities such as waste recycling site visits to theme events such as exhibitions and workshops. A visit to a waste management facility is a memorable experience for children.

The imposing furnaces within a municipal solid waste incinerator and the sheer size of certain landfill sites underline the fact that waste disposal is a serious matter. Catch ’em young seems like the most effective method of combating litter.

Voluntary Code of conduct

Germany, Switzerland and Austria have a voluntary code of conduct which is an mechanism devised to assist voluntary cooperation between businesses and local authorities.

This signed agreement, passed between the service providers or the organisers of events and the local authorities, defines the responsibilities of each party and the terms of their collaboration, and is tailored to the size of the business or the magnitude of the event.

By this means, the implementation of strategies against littering in public places is greatly facilitated.

Penalties

If awareness-raising campaigns change the behaviour of a part of the population, some groups are little aware of them. In these cases, fines are a imposed.

For instance, consumers are responsible for the costs associated with purchasing and discarding the packaging. If they litter, they are subject to penalties. If they throw out the packaging, they have to pay for waste collection.

Anti-littering fines have the same kind of dissuasive effect as speeding fines: The consumer behaves properly for fear of being fined.

In Cologne where I live, approximately 2,000 cases of littering followed by a fine or a simple warning were recorded last year.

Public is clearly informed of such fines, for example, by means of radio, television spots and poster campaign.

Deposit on Drinks

Four years ago, Germany introduced a compulsory deposit of €25 cents to all one-way drinks packaging containing mineral water, beer and carbonated soft drinks. This deposit has stabilised the reusables share in these drinks sectors and has put an end to the ‘throwaway’ mentality.

End-of-life vehicles

There are about 50 million passenger cars on Germany’s roads. Every year, 3.5 million new cars are registered. The waste industry dismantles and recycles around 800,000 passenger cars every year.

If a vehicle is finally retired and disposed of, a certificate of destruction from the dismantling facility has to be presented to the registration authority. If the vehicle is not disposed of, this has to be explained accordingly. The End-of-Life Vehicle Ordinance of 2002 allows consumers to return end-of-life vehicles to their manufacturer or importer free of charge.

Manufacturers and importers are obliged to take back the end-of-life vehicles and have set up a nationwide take-back system, either themselves or through third parties.

Since 2006, at least 85 per cent of the average weight of an end-of-life vehicle is recovered, and at least 80 per cent of that material is recycled or reused.

In conclusion, the European experience reveals that it is not just legislation and punishing fines that help in keeping cities clean and combat landfills.

It is the right mindset and attitude adjustment that is Europe’s most effective weapon.

(The author is former Europe Director, CII, and lives in Cologne, Germany. Feedback may be sent to mohan.murti@t-online.de)

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