Reclycing on an EU level

by Joanna Burns    October 31, 2014

2014 is the year in which the largest waste disposal legislation project in the European Union is due to be carried out. The project mainly includes a review of the laws that are currently in existence and will definitely change the way in which we are looking at rubbish removals. According to leading experts in the field however the whole thing is not only about rubbish removals, but rather about changing the whole economy of the EU and pushing it forward to the circular economy model.

How is it possible to happen? There are several simple steps that are to be taken, and they are all related to encouraging, on both local and international level the reusing and recycling of materials that up until now has been simply thrown away and disposed of in the old-time ways.

Recycling ChartSome experts, like Michael Delle Selve from the European Container Glass Federation go as far as to suggest that on the territory of the whole union the production of materials should be overhauled completely. According to him that is the best way to stimulate a boost in recycling throughout Europe. In his statement Selve explains that policy makers are to take a more responsible stance towards the problem if a sustainable solution is to be found. The simple production-use-disposal line should be broken in order to enter the usage of circular economy.

Packaging materials are today the biggest problem, because on one hand they cause the most pollution, while at the same time they are not properly recycled. Only then long term eco-friendly results are to be achieved and at the same time the economy of the Union is going to be stimulated to change in a positive direction too, because the employment of raw materials is going to be reduced. Thus the dependence of international markets that countries from the EU have, including the UK too, will also be reduced, because there will be less raw materials imported from outside the Union, unlike the situation today.

Actually, the UK is far ahead of home of the countries in the European Union already in terms of recycling. There are many local policies in London town councils, as well as throughout the country that stimulate recycling. What is more, private contractors, like rubbish removal companies also do their best to stay up to day with the latest trends in the industry and employ more and more recycling methods every day. This is only good news of course because the day will come when those approaches will be not only mandatory everywhere, but also are going to be recognized as the only adequate way of dealing with materials. Circular economy is the way of the future, because it will reduce the need of raw materials, and is going to reduce the levels of pollution on the planet, thus making the world a far fairer and better place to live in – which is after all the meaning of progress in all its forms.

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