Professional paper

PACKAGING WASTE MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

Đulijano Grum orcid.org/0000-0002-9834-739X ; Fond za zaštitu okoliša i energetsku učinkovitost, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Abstract

Before a product is consumed, its packaging is deposited as waste. Packaging provides the product with certain functions. Once these functions cease the need for packaging ceases too. In poor packaging management systems, packaging is deposited at garbage disposal sites instead of being reused for its still useful materials. Information on the quantity and properties of packaging waste can help in defining an integral management system for this waste category.
The waste management hierarchy offers solutions for a more rational and efficient packaging waste handling system. The measures for packaging waste management need to satisfy all aspects of rational use of packaging.
The principle ‘the polluter pays’ is becoming the generally accepted model for the financing of waste management. Payment by mass of packaging put on the market and by mass of deposited municipal waste must be the key principle in financing the system. The consumer pays the end price of waste management. If packaging waste is not collected separately, the consumer pays twice: the waste management fee and the municipal waste collection fee.
Presented in the paper is the structure of municipal waste in which packaging waste makes 1/5 of the total mass. End-of-waste is the goal in waste management. End-of-waste for each packaging material is not easy to define in terms of processing, and experts are still not clear on this. Without the principle of waste traceability there can be no satisfactory waste management system.

Keywords

packaging waste; waste management hierarchy; 4R; end-of-waste; traceability

Hrčak ID:

99568

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/99568

Publication date:

4.4.2013.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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