According to Vera Hudáková of the Center for Waste Management, companies have increasingly more options where to bestow free products in return mode. This concerns, for example, electrical equipment and batteries. "The motivation is primarily financial companies, it means savings, but it is also improving the image in the public eye, which more and more interested in the behavior of individual firms to the environment," said Hudáková. Part of the company has also been trying to prevent waste. For them it is more cost-effective than waste generation and then look for the form of disposal or further use.
According to the Executive Director of the Czech Association of Waste Management Petr Havelka firms, as waste generators, seeks to gradually reduce their costs, which also applies to waste management. "It often happens also that professionally communicate with waste companies find better solutions for the production itself and there is, for example, place them unusable hazardous waste waste which is further processed and may no longer carry hazardous properties, "said Havelka. Better motivator than legal bans and restrictions according to him, the economic calculation. "Where would definitely could add is the question of the appropriate size of packaging from goods sold. Everyone we know from normal life cases where, as consumers, to some extent we doubt whether the packaging for its content, really have to be so big, "said Havelka.
Citizens and businesses, according to him, should continue efforts to maximize waste recycling. In the Czech Republic, the percentage of waste utilization of total production compared with other states, according to experts, high. We can use up to 79.5% of all waste, and we are thus among the first six countries in the EU. "The Czech Republic must continue to focus on the greatest possible degree of processing of mixed municipal waste, namely its further sorting and recovery of its individual components. The EU wants to establish for this purpose in 2030, when it should be up to 70% of municipal waste recycled, "said Petr Havelka.
Czech Waste Act set a hierarchy of waste management, so that in the first place is precisely prevention. Simultaneously Waste Act directs everyone that her activities an obligation to prevent waste, reduce the amount and hazardous properties. Companies that break the rules, they can get from the Czech Environmental Inspectorate fined. "CEI is within its competence as identified breaches regulations applicable in the field of waste management the possibility to impose sanctions according to the nature of administrative offenses. A maximum fine may be under the Waste Act to reach 50 million, "said Luke Kůs, Head of Waste Management of the Czech Environmental Inspectorate.
For example, electronic waste poses a great risk of contamination of soil, groundwater contamination and threats to human health and animals. Now mixed municipal waste is currently removes a relatively large share of electrical equipment, often with batteries, which then may end up in landfills. "From an unsecured landfill so they can leak harmful and toxic substances into the air, water and soil," said David Vandrovec, Director REMA group, which is engaged in taking back WEEE and batteries. According to him, the situation may improve even more as well raising awareness about the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment and batteries and its free collection directly from the place of residence or business. "Today, we can advantageously use the services through which people can absolutely free, convenient and especially ecologically dispose of old appliances , batteries, toner cartridges or CDs, "said Vandrovec.
Source: tz Lešenská, editorially modified