Sustainable handling of waste
Why recycling is not enough when it comes to waste
Separating the rubbish properly needs to be learned.
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Living sustainably is no longer a question of conscience, but a necessity. The experts agree on that.
The garbage in the oceans is increasing every year and the livelihoods of many animal and plant species are also acutely endangered on land. on the current Red List of the WWF are 37,500 endangered species. Decisive action is needed to stop the downward spiral, experts say. At the weekend, some of them exchanged ideas at a panel discussion at the FaceClub in Berlin at the invitation of APK AG. Which, in her opinion, is necessary to save the world after all.
Think in circles instead of spirals
“In order to prevent increasing amounts of waste, we have to stop the growth of mankind,” Klaus Wohnig, for example, appealed during the discussion. He is CEO of the Nuremberg recycling company APK, which is dedicated to recycling plastic and thus to a circular economy. Michael Thews, SPD member of parliament, may not be talking about the end of economic growth, but he too says: “We have to think more in cycles.”
The companies are also obliged to plan their products in such a way that “the cycle is already taken into account,” says Thews. Silke Düwel-Rieht from WWF Germany agrees and demands that the natural costs become part of the economic calculation: “Our economy does not measure the environment as a value in its production. We have to change that.” According to Wohnig, a suitable instrument for this is a CO2 tax: “We have to promote sustainability and the circular economy by pricing CO2 and thus making linear management more expensive. And if we want to change something, we have to think and act on a large scale.”
What can the individual do?
Axel Kaiser, head of the Federal Association for Sustainable Economy, first reminds: “Article 14, paragraph 2 of the Basic Law states: ‘Property obliges. Its use should also serve the public good.’ We always have to think about that.” Actor Ralf Bauer agrees that too many people are unaware of this fact: “We have to reduce our own greed in order to save resources.”
“Each of us can influence political processes,” says Düwel-Rieth, calling on citizens to take action, “for example by talking to MPs at the local level, but also at the national level by signing petitions.” The actress Claudia Urbschat-Mingue joins this appeal: “Don’t be afraid to get involved digitally or personally in local groups in the neighborhood.”
Plastic, plastic everywhere
Moderator Fritz Lietsch points out how dramatic the situation is: “In Germany alone, we produce 770 tons of plastic packaging waste every day.” Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that as little as possible is produced from it from the outset – including from the individual consumers. “Reuse is a question of appreciation”, is therefore the motto of Christina Christiansen, keynote speaker at the event organized by FaceClub.
Wohnig hopes that this appreciation will also find its way into the waste produced by people: “We have to give the waste a value,” he says and receives encouragement from Gabriele Haessig from Procter & Gamble, who explains why consumers should be properly recycled important for the industry: “Correct separation is important. This creates better plastic waste with more recycling options.” How it works, breaks down, for example, the consumer center – depending on the type of waste, different rules apply. After all, it’s all about knowledge, as moderator Lietsch knows: “Each of us can do something. You just have to recognize your own leverage.”