Europe saves about 60 million tonnes of harmful emissions by processing waste

“Currently, EU countries save 59 million tonnes of carbon dioxide via waste processing,” said Bärbel Birnstengel, project manager at the German Prognos AG consulting firm. At the Save the Planet forum, which continues today, the focus of yesterday’s session was set on technologies for recycling waste to energy. Under the existing legislation, the harmful emissions can be reduced by more than 70 million tonnes.

“New EU member-states, including Bulgaria, however, dispose of waste instead  of processing it and using it as a resource for energy production. If Bulgaria removes its landfills, the country could save from 2.2 to 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Almost all European countries have introduced taxes on waste disposal in order to limit it,” said Birnstengel. There are 500 facilities for the incineration of waste in the EU, with a capacity of 800 million tonnes, which produce energy. If 90 more facilities are built, annual waste processing could be increased by 31 million tonnes. New EU member-states, however, delayed the process. According Birnstengel, incinerators are being introduced in the countries with the highest percentage of waste processing. “After taking apart the high-calorific and organic waste, converting it into energy is the necessary supplement to the whole process,” she added.

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