Towards a recycling society — National waste plan until 2016
The Government approved the new national waste plan until 2016. This nationwide strategic plan is aimed at developing the Finnish waste management system and promoting waste prevention.
The national waste plan emphasizes the relationship between waste issues and other sectors of environmental policy such as chemical policy, sustainable resource use, climate policy, environmental health, soil protection, and technology policy. For the first time, the national waste plan also includes a separate national waste prevention programme.
The goals of waste management are described by seven main themes.
- Improving the materials efficiency of production and consumption
- Promoting recycling
- Decreasing hazardous chemicals in waste
- Reducing harmful effects on the climate from waste management
- Reducing risks for health and the environment from waste management
- Developing and clarifying the organization of waste management
- Improving waste management know-how
One additional goal is related to waste shipments. For each theme, long-term goals and required policy instruments have been proposed, and the government body responsible for implementation has been identified.
Promoting waste prevention by increasing materials efficiency
The waste prevention programme will promote waste prevention by the use of new steering methods to increase materials efficiency in production processes, construction and consumption, and by making the enforcement of current legislation more effective.
Product eco-efficiency will be enhanced by promoting the use of materials efficiency and eco-efficiency criteria in product standards, in eco-labels and in the tendering for public procurement. Activities of the service centre for materials efficiency will be promoted to further materials efficiency in corporations, public administration and households.
To further materials efficiency in industrial production, economic steering methods and possible subsidies that currently hinder the sustainable use of natural resources will be examined. At the same time, materials efficiency for specific sectors will be intensified via agreements (such as the energy conservation agreement between the State and industries). In the construction field, the renovation and maintenance of buildings will be improved.
Advice on waste prevention will be strengthened. Support services will be provided, for example, by the service centre for materials efficiency and the Finnish Environment Institute. To encourage households to use repair services, ways and means of expanding tax deductions to more services, and whether there is a need to do so, will be examined.
Increasing recycling by promoting demand for recycled materials
The use of recycled materials in public civil engineering works will be increased. The use of applicable waste materials as fertilizer will be promoted.
Reducing GHG emissions from wastes
Landfilling of biodegradable waste will be restricted. The recovery of methane gas from landfills will be strengthen. The energy recovery of those wastes which are not suitable for materials recycling will be increased.
Target for waste prevention
The volume of municipal waste will be stabilised and then reduced to the level at the beginning of 2000 until the year 2016.
Recovery target for municipal waste is 80%
The target is that 50% of municipal solid waste will be recycled, energy will be recovered from 30% and a maximum of 20% will be landfilled until the year 2016.
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