gaia
Global Alliance for
Incinerator Alternatives
Zero Waste Europe
Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance
Joan Marc Simon
Jm.simon@no-burn.org
GAIA Coordinator in Europe
Why Zero Waste in Europe now?
1- Climate change - emissions
2- Resource scarcity – higher prices
3- Economic crisis – unemployment
4- Urban ecological security
5- Sustainability
6- From combustion to digestion
7- Change of paradigm – do more with less
8- Communication – new goals for new century
Changing the paradigm in Europe:
From Recycling to Zero Waste
Czech Rep
Slovakia
Poland
Latvia
Romania
Lithuania
Slovenia*
Greece
Hungary
Bulgaria
Portugal
Belgium
Finland
Sweden
EU27
Estonia
France
Italy
Germany
UK
Spain
Austria
Netherlands
Malta
Luxembourg
Cyprus
Ireland
Denmark
Landfilled
Incinerated
Recycled
Composted
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
If we look at recycling rates (2007)
120
100
80
Disposal
60
Recycling
40
20
0
Denmark
Czech Republic
2000
But if we bring in waste
generation(2007)
(pounds/cap/year)
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
Disposal
800
Recycling
600
400
200
0
Denmark
Czeck Republic
As important as building a circular
economy is to reduce the materials
use
Resource use in Europe has grown 34% between 2000 and
2007
Work on all levels of waste hierarchy
Reduce disposal + increase collection and
recycling + stabilise waste generation...
Flanders, Belgium
700
600
kg per inhabitant
500
400
300
200
100
0
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
year
landfilled
MBT
incinerated
recycled
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Zero Waste network in Europe so far...
Italy – Rifiuti Zero
Rifiuti Zero Municipalities
CAPANNORI (Lucca)
població
CARBONIA (Carbonia Iglesias)
AVIANO (Pordenone)
GIFFONI SEI CASALI (Salerno)
VINCHIO (Asti)
COLORNO (Parma)
SERAVEZZA (Lucca)
CALCINAIA (Pisa)
MONSANO (Ancona)
MONTIGNOSO (Massa Carrara)
LA SPEZIA
VICO PISANO (Pisa)
SOMMA VESUVIANA (Napoli)
CORCHIANO (Viterbo)
BOSCOREALE (Napoli)
MONTE SAN PIETRO (Bologna)
MAIORI (Salerno)*
COLLESANO* (Palermo)
FORTE DEI MARMI* (Lucca)
SASSO MARCONI (BO)
MARINEO (Palermo)
PIETRASANTA (Lucca)
————————————————————Total
46059
29827
9252
5272
677
8979
13449
11396
3223
10553
95641
8417
35161
3826
26939
10.976
5649
4254
7760
14719
6814
24833
383377
Netherlands
Region of
500.000hab
Catalonia, Spain
Basque country, Spain
Creation of Zero Waste network in
Europe
• 13 countries represented
• Brussels 14, March
www.zerowasteeurope.eu
Does Zero Waste actually mean ZERO?
• What matters is the vision – never giving up the
idea to further reduce residuals and minimise the
use of hardly or non-recyclable materials
• Add «minimise residuals» to «separate
collection»
• Cold pretreatment (MBT with recovery of
materials) to keep the system flexible
• It can mean «less than 22 pounds of MSW
residual»
For Europeans
separating waste and
recycling are the
preferred way to
fight Climate Change
• Eurostat – 63% of europeans declares being active in the
fight against climate change
• For 75% of them the first action they do against climate
change is separating waste and recycling.