Future without toxic substances:
Alternative waste managing technologies
The common project "Europe free of toxic substances — 2" was started in October 2006 by NGO Ecological group "Idea realization fund" (Belarus), Center of environment and sustainable development "Eco-harmony" (Russia) and NGO "MAMA-86" (Ukraine) with help of NGO International Chemical Secretariat (Sweden) and financial support of Swedish agency of environmental secure (Swedish EPA).
One of the missions of this project was creation of the alternative waste managing technologies data base.
It has been already created the corresponding data base, which includes technologies of production and consumption wastes neutralization and utilization, technologies of persistent organic pollutants (POP) neutralization and disinfection, liquidation of medical wastes and medical wastes conversion methods.
Tacking into consideration that the audience of these information and future users will be from East European region, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA), the data base is in Russian.
Such a Russian language data base is formed for the first time. Authors gathered information about more than 70 modern technologies of waste management, which are based on alternative decontamination, utilization and waste destruction methods. Information which is contained in data base, allows interested consumers and producers to get information on the presence of the approved industry technologies; technologies which approached to industrial usage; perspective technologies, which have already passed laboratory testing and have serious chances for after working, and also on technologies, which potentiality are not investigated enough, but with more detail investigation they probably will be used in industry.
Data base contains not only technology process short description, but also their economical basis, prime refinement cost, facts about the environment and people’s health safety of usage, contacts of producers and equipment suppliers.
Technology choice is based on the next main criteria:
- Safety of technological process according to its influence on environmental condition and people health.
- Dangerous components destruction degree.
- Prime waste refinement cost.
Chief experts from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine commented the concrete technologies, and also expressed basic position on created data base of alternative waste managing technologies. They also evaluated its significance for solving problems of rational and safe waste managing and its use by interested business structures; for training experts in environmental sphere; for civil information and for qualified help to individuals which are responsible in the environmental protection area.
The importance of prepared data base of alternative waste managing technologies also consist in author’s attempt to choose from total data on different refinement and waste utilization technologies some special, which can be exactly suitable for EECCA region both from the point of view of economic basis and ecological efficiency.
The information on alternative waste managing technologies was received from different sources (Global ecology foundation, World Bank, UN environmental program, US environmental protection agency and publications from science conferences and specialized seminars). Moreover, data on technologies were represented by research institutes and labs, companies which deal with waste refining, NGO’s. So, the data base represents unique collection of information on the experience of different countries and organizations in the area of safe waste conduction. Because of data base, the information of some technologies which were developed in EECCA countries became available for the wide group of readers for the first time.
Today EECCA countries are active participants of carrying-out of assumption of International agreements on environment protection. Among them there are some which are directly connected with еру waste liquidation and refinement, like Stockholm convention on POP and Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movements on hazardous wastes and their disposal.
Besides, EECCA countries are tacking part in realization of StrategicApproach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), accepted in February 2006 on International conference on chemicals management. In Global action plan, which is directed to tacking of concrete measures for realization SACIM, special unit is devoted to waste management questions. This is obvious that this and other international agreements expect the qualified approach to waste problem decisions from EECCA countries.
The created data base will allow representatives of different society sections, from state government organs representatives, representatives of industrial enterprises and NGO’s and inhabitants of local societies to make decisions about environmental protection actions, by supporting them with materials from the data base.
The data base of alternative waste managing technologies will be situated on the specially created website (http://www.noburntech.info/). Because of this it will become available to the wide range of interested parts. We are planning to broaden the information in database further.
The presentation of data base of alternative waste managing technologies will occur during the work of the round table "The role of education, enlightenment and information in the problem of dangerous wastes and useless pesticides solving in Ukraine" which will be leaded by NGO "MAMA-86" supported by National Pedagogic university of M.P. Dragomanov on February 7, 2007.
