HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM GARBAGE?
Achievements of mankind make our life more comfortable, but at the same time create a set of problems. The most difficult and global problems today are coupled with ecology. Huge money resources are necessary for solving these problems. Therefore our ability to benefit from the problem of waste recycling will allow us not only to solve one of environmental problems, but also to receive profit.
Only the tenth part of all waste products in our country is used for recycling. Annually Belarus throws out 1 billion dollars in a recycle bin.
Paper, glass, tree, polymers, metal - valuable secondary resources are simply thrown out and pollute the nature.
Separate gathering, sorting and industrial processing of waste products practically do not exist today in our republic. Two disposal plants in Minsk (the capital of Belarus) are closed, because they used out-of-date technologies. A single method of waste products utilizing that is used nowadays is waste burial.
The problem of dumps exists in many countries, but not all of them are capable to neutralize the damage effect of such «objects» on the environment and on population health. Belarus is no exception. City dumps are over flown, it is necessary to use new sites near Minsk, but accommodation of one more dump here is extremely undesirable.
In the developed countries simple waste burial is forbidden by law. In some countries, for example, Austria, Germany and Spain, burning of waste products is also forbidden. A primary method is recycling. For example, Japanese make uniform from crushed plastic bottles.
You see samples of such clothes:
In our republic such technology is not used.
To solve the «garbage problem» many countries undertake the following steps:
1. Change of the legislation in the field of ecology.
2. Separate gathering of waste products and their reuse. For application of this method it is necessary to carry out explanatory work in order to raise ecological culture in the society.
3. Attraction of external and internal investments into ecological projects.
4. Use of the latest technologies.
Belarus tries to use world experience to solve this problem.
Firstly, government and local authorities are elaborating special laws, according to which the responsibility for recycling of waste products is assigned to the manufacturers.
Secondly, about 150 containers of special design for separate gathering solid waste have appeared in Minsk this year:
Today glass, tin banks, paper citizens throw out in separate sections. But, unfortunately, the gathered waste in these containers is dumped in one common plastic package. And this experience represents only educational aspect.
Thirdly, the second tender on construction of a disposal plants was invited in Minsk. The first tender failed, because of out-of-date technologies of construction offered by different European companies.
Also it is important to mention the latest know-how of the Belarusian scientists. They have developed the technology of high-quality oil manufacturing from hard human refuse. But, unfortunately, this technology has not passed to the stage of manufacturing yet.
All these variants of problem solving are perspective enough, but nowadays their realization is coupled with various difficulties, therefore a primary method today is using presses for manufacturing of compact briquettes from garbage.
This manufacturing includes such processes as gathering of waste in separate sections and pressing. Then ready briquettes are transported to dumps. So, they occupy much less place and are safer for the environment.
The bottom line is that Belarus is still far from the developed countries in solving the «garbage problem». But we make steps to cope with it, using experience of other countries.