It is estimated that only by burning garbage, Serbia could cover three percent of electricity consumption. How, the experts explained in the “White book on obtaining energy from waste”.
Some European countries import waste to produce energy. There is no shortage of garbage in Serbia, in addition to the regular ones, there are still many unkempt and wild landfills, where fires are very common.
The “White Paper on the use of waste in energy production” warns against this and provides guidelines on management and possible technologies for the construction of incinerators. And they only dealt with municipal waste.
“As a key problem, even after 15 years since the adoption of the Law on Waste Management, we in Serbia have not been able to determine with full reliability what amounts of waste we have and what kind of waste we have. After 15 years, we have one third of local governments that persistently refuse to fulfill their small legal duty to report on the amount and composition of the waste they collect,” says Igor Jezdimirović, president of the Association of Environmental Protection Engineers.
Experts point out the multiple benefits of using waste – for obtaining thermal and electrical energy while preserving the environment. Recycling also provides raw materials that are already in short supply on the European market.
“Our recycling industry is dying. We are trying to hybridly import paper and plastic and stretch. We cannot meet the needs of domestic production. Today, every product that goes to the European Union must have 30 percent recycled content. Were they sacks, bags, metal. We are now seeing the process of chemical recycling starting in Europe”, says Siniša Mitrović from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.
He points out that energy from waste should be seen as a new investment potential.
Serbia was assisted in drafting the White Book by Austria, which has been producing energy from waste for more than six decades.
“The latest directive of the European Union foresees that by 2030, only 10 percent of municipal waste can be placed in landfills. Everything else must be incinerated or recycled. At the moment, eight countries fulfill it, the rest are on the way to that goal. The level of environmental protection is extremely high,” says Helga Stoiber, an expert in thermal waste processes in Austria.
They recommend decision-makers, the Government, and especially local authorities, to speed up the development of projects for the rehabilitation of landfills, which is a prerequisite for turning garbage into energy.
E2 portal (RTS)
Source: www.e2.rs
