STUDY ON PACKAGING WASTE PREVENTION IN ROMANIA

• Main Author: Scortar Lucia-Monica
• Format: Article
• Language: deu
• Published: University of Oradea 2013-07-01
• Series: Annals of the University of Oradea: Economic Science
• Subjects: waste prevention, packaging waste, recycling, sellective collection, environmental protection
• Online Access: http://anale.steconomiceuoradea.ro/volume/2013/n1/148.pdf

This paper presents on the one hand, the packaging waste management in our country, and on the other hand the packaging waste – most of them disposable - prevention mechanisms. The study provides useful information regarding the quantities of the packaging waste, the capitalization methods and their impact on the environment and population. Preventing waste means reducing the amount of waste generated, reducing the hazardous content of that waste and reducing its impact on the environment. The importance of waste prevention is nowadays fully recognized and generally considered as a priority within EU, as well as national and regional authorities’ waste management strategies and plans, but many efforts still need to be made. In practice, local and regional authorities will have to prepare their own waste prevention plans. They will have to take into account that the waste hierarchy established by the Waste Framework Directive puts waste prevention as the top priority. Waste prevention plans shall in particular include a series of actions aimed at reducing the amount of waste to be managed and treated by public authorities. The current national environmental policy is based on the concept known as "waste hierarchy". In an ideal situation, this means that the waste quantities should be prevented and the waste which cannot be prevented should be reused, recycled and recovered as much as possible, avoiding landfilling. The uncontrolled landfilling is the most disadvantageous option for environment meaning resource losses with negative impact on the environment. The goal is to move forward to a society of recycling and recovery, meaning to climb the hierarchical scale, moving from landfill to recycling and recovery. It is very important to mention that individuals and businesses can often save a significant amount of money through waste prevention: waste that never gets created doesn't have management costs (handling, transporting, treating and disposing of waste). The rule is simple: the best waste is that which is not produced.