Separate waste collection: how it is done abroad
When in 2009 there was a struggle with the construction of waste incineration plants in Moscow, the supporters of the factories most often said that there was no other available way to handle wastes other than incineration. Scared Muscovites and residents of the area with growing dumps, which will inevitably capture all the free space, if the garbage is not burned. All the same, it remained unclear why this should be done right in the city, 200 meters from residential buildings. Moreover, in the world there has long been an alternative method of waste management, which is not only more environmentally friendly, but also more economical. Collecting and recycling waste, including household waste, is a great business. And it begins with a garbage can in the apartment and a tank near the house. Each country does it in its own way, even different cities in one country can place tanks of different designs. There is no need to invent anything, you just have to see how it is done in the world, and learn from those who successfully solve this problem.
Spain, Seville
Most often, separate collection of waste begins in the kitchen. I don’t bother to judge how each individual European family does it, how many buckets or bags for different trash it holds in its kitchen. But with what I personally encountered this winter in the Austrian Solden. In the small kitchen of our room, which we rented for 2 families, there were several identical, not signed buckets. On the kitchen wall there was an explanation that all the waste in the hotel is collected separately, and you should put metal, bottles and glass, plastic, paper, cardboard (paper and cardboard separately!), Food waste and all other waste into different buckets. “However, you can do nothing of this and throw it all into one bucket,” the same instructions on the wall said, “we will do it for you. But it will cost you an extra 40 euros.” But we just wanted to share our garbage ourselves, not at all from the desire to save 40 euros, but from fundamental considerations. In addition, it was very clear - to see how much and what kind of waste is generated as a result of a week-long stay of 4 people at a ski resort. It quickly became clear that most of our life was plastic waste: yogurt jars, water bottles, and packing bags.
As the bucket was filled, it should be demolished down and handed over to the hotel employee, who emptied them into the appropriate tanks. I was asked to see where our trash would be carried. In the basement, next to the ski boot dryer, there were large containers, where the contents of our buckets were consistently shaken out.
The hotel staff said that such a waste collection system has been operating in Solden for over 10 years, and all the waste is being brought to the neighboring city for recycling. On the streets of tanks for separate collection, we did not see, only barrels adapted for street urns, painted in red.
And in a restaurant at an altitude of 3500 m, we saw such a cart with 4 containers: glass and metal, plastic packaging, organic, everything else. The waiters, clearing the tables, immediately sort the waste. Then large containers, as they are filled, are sent down the cable car to the city. There is no rubbish in the mountains.
Such street bins for dog waste can be found on the streets of many European cities. There are certainly small plastic bags in the container. And in Moscow we walk with our erdel with a bag and a baby scoop. True, then you have to use ordinary litter bins, and not special ones like this one.
Containers in the Czech Republic
Bulgaria, Bansko. Everywhere on the streets are beautiful tanks for paper, glass bottles and plastic
Glass Tank
Denmark, Copenhagen. Large outdoor container for glass bottles
Denmark, Helsinor. Tanks for paper and glass.
Germany. Here, perhaps, they try to separate waste to the maximum at the initial stage. The design of the containers may be different, but the fact that for white, green and brown glass there are different containers remains the same.
Munich.
Hamburg This is a container for different packages.
And this container is for paper.
Germany. Separate collection tanks installed near the roadside cafe.
Bucks on a large parking lot on the highway leading from Germany to Austria.
Netherlands, Leiden. Tanks for different types of glass and plastic, installed near a large grocery store.
Netherlands. Leiden. The girl brought on a bike bag with bottles and unloads them in a special tank.
Here such cheerful tanks stand near houses.
Leiden. A cycle path with two-level interchanges passes through the whole city. In some places there are such baskets for garbage, where on the go you can throw a bottle out of the water. Cyclists compete in accuracy, getting into the basket even at speed. It happens that they miss, but then the fallen bottles will surely be picked up by municipal employees who take out the garbage. It seems to me that this is a wonderful invention!
Spain, Seville. Paper container. Behind him stands a painted container for bottles, both glass and plastic. Their further separation is most likely at the waste sorting station.
Spain, Seville. This is an underground waste bin receiver. Garbage truck empties it with a giant vacuum cleaner.
Spain, Seville. Graffiti on street containers.
Israel. Outdoor container for plastic bottles. Here also put plastic bags.
Such a simple thing, but how much space is available for designers' creativity! On the left, a box is welded for unnecessary CDs that are inserted through the slot. .
Israel. In the foreground - containers for waste paper, standing on the streets of many cities.
USA. Aluminum can container mounted on a large parking lot near the highway.
Massachusetts, private home in the vicinity of Boston. The municipality distributed such containers to residents so that they put plastic, glass and paper waste into them. Once every two weeks, according to the schedule, the garbage truck travels around the house and takes the contents of the containers. Nearby in a plastic bag - waste that can not be recycled. For such waste come weekly.
USA, Florida. On the left - a container for non-recyclable waste, on the right - for aluminum, plastic, glass
This concludes the short excursion into the world of separate garbage collection. Nothing complicated at first glance. It lacks the very small - political will. The city authorities (and not only in Moscow) cannot take responsibility for themselves and say: this is the right, civilized way, and we will go this way. Why in San Francisco about 80% of municipal waste is reused, and in Moscow almost everything is taken to landfills, and only a small amount is recycled? It seems to me that there is a fairly simple answer to this question: recycling is good business, but it must be managed to be organized. The city authorities do not know how to do this and do not want to do anything, but for some reason they don’t give waste collection and recycling to private business (and in the whole world it is private business that always operates more efficiently than state companies and various "unitary enterprises"). Otherwise, why not show this political will and say: do, organize, export, sort, and we will not interfere, we will help with campaigning among the population, with advertising. Even the advertising business is already placing at its expense image-based social advertising. But for the time being she is wasting. Really in Moscow, no one will throw up the bank to the "right" tank?
PS Greenpeace Russia initiated the collection of signatures of citizens under the appeal to the mayors and governors of all regions of Russia, to introduce a separate collection of waste and turn them into secondary raw materials. This will reduce the amount of waste transported to landfills.
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