The European Parliament voted on Tuesday (14.03) in favour of legislation to achieve an EU-wide recycling rate for packaging waste of 70% by 2030. The draft initially included a ceiling of 80% and interim targets for individual materials (i.e. glass, plastic, metal, etc.) with a cut-off date set for 2025. EP members also supported the plan,...
The 2008 Waste Framework Directive sets out the basic principles and definitions related to waste management in the EU. It clarifies when waste loses its status as waste and becomes a raw material to be recycled. It also clarifies a number of elementary principles of waste management, including, above all, that it should take place in conditions that do not endanger human health and life and without harming...
It is impossible not to envy the Scandinavian countries. Norway, Denmark and Sweden were so good at recycling that they didn't need landfills until 2014. Just like the prisons there, the landfills are empty. Now Denmark has its 'hygge' - a concept that is the quintessentially eco-friendly yet comfortable lifestyle. What's not to like? However, it is usually Sweden that gets the ...
Every time you unwrap a cheese, there is a plastic wrapper left behind with the remains of said product. Where does it belong? In the bin, of course. What about creating packaging that is not only biodegradable, but also... edible? The US Department of Agriculture is looking for such a solution and, surprisingly, is getting closer to an epoch-making discovery. It all comes down to ...
The use of non-Polish coal may be the cause of smog, the Environment Minister announced. He announced his revelations in the Sejm. On Thursday 26 January, Environment Minister Jan Szyszko answered MPs' questions about smog in the Sejm. The problem of heavily polluted air in Polish cities was publicised after smog standards were exceeded by up to several hundred per cent at the beginning of the year. The minister admitted,...
The European Union has decided on dental amalgam: it has banned its use in children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Mercury still remains Unfortunately, mercury will be with us for years to come. But there will be much less of it. Much now depends on the individual EU Member States. It remains to be seen whether they care about the health of their citizens. On ...
There are still more than 3.5 million Poles who heat their homes with 'fossil fuels', in which they burn coal that does not meet any standards. Meanwhile, Poland is a producer of pellets - a clean fuel, which, however, is 90% exported. Every year, Poles buy about 10 million tonnes of coal-based fuels to heat their homes. Within this mass, as much as one million tonnes is sludge - a waste product generated during...
The burning of fossil fuels (oil, gas or coal) not only has a negative impact on human health, but also leads to serious climate change. Both pose a serious threat to future generations. In an overview article prepared by Prof Perera of Columbia University (New York, USA), the results of studies from around the world published in recent...
Opponents of the construction of an open-cast mine in south-western Greater Poland have received support from the environment ministry. During a conference at the Holy Mountain Sanctuary, the deputy minister of this ministry, Mariusz Gajda, admitted that the exploitation of lignite in this region would entail excessive environmental and social costs. - There will be no water, there will be no life, instead there will be one big desert," stressed the representative of ...
The provisions of the Waste Act of 14 December 2012 impose an obligation on the entrepreneur to keep waste records. The regulations clearly specify that this should be done using documents such as waste record sheets, separate for each type of waste and a waste transfer card. What should be taken into account when deciding to entrust waste to a specialist company? Records ...
