Page 10 from: December 2014

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Shirley Temple: ‘I stopped believing in Santa Claus
when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department

store and he asked for my autograph.’

Quote ~ Unquote

Young entrepreneur Boyan Slat,
founder of Ocean Cleanup, has won a
prestigious Champion of the Earth envi-
ronmental accolade conferred by the
United Nations. Slat has received the
‘Inspiration and Action award’ for his
efforts to mobilise support to rid the
oceans of plastic waste.
According to recently-published feasibil-
ity research, Ocean Cleanup estimates
that almost half the plastic build-up
known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
can be removed in 10 years using Slat’s
technology. Slat was still in secondary
school when he came up with the idea of
utilising natural ocean currents and winds
to passively concentrate and transport
floating plastic along solid barriers
towards a central collection platform.
‘According to UNEP research, conserva-
tive estimates of the overall financial
damage of plastics to marine ecosys-
tems now stand at US$ 13 billion each
year,’ noted UN under-secretary-general
and UNEP executive director Achim
Steiner. He hailed the Dutch entrepre-
neur as ‘a great inspiration’ to people as
well as businesses and governments to
tackle the ‘escalating threat’ of plastic
debris in the oceans.

Slat has also made the list of the 20 Most
Promising Young Entrepreneurs World-
wide compiled by Intel EYE50. These
accolades follow the aerospace and
engineering expert’s raising of more than
US$ 2 million in crowdfunding backing
from approximately 38 000 supporters
in 160 countries around the world.
Slat himself says he is ‘incredibly excited
and honoured’ by the ongoing appre-
ciation of his efforts. He adds: ‘My team
and I will continue to do our utmost to
fulfill the expectations, and initiate the
largest ocean cleanup in history.’
www.boyanslat.com

Plastics crusader
continues winning streak

EDITOR’S TIP:
For an update on ocean
plastics, see page 20

!

Efficient structures for collection
and recycling, a strict landfill ban and
the abolition of subsidies for incineration
plants in Europe are key ingredients for
a successful circular economy, according
to the German Federal Association for
Secondary Raw Materials and Waste
Management (bvse).
The Circular Economy Package, which
was published by the European Commis-
sion in July this year, has been welcomed
by the bvse, with executive director Eric
Rehbock expressing his appreciation of
the target to increase the recycling of
municipal waste to 70% by 2030.
The organisation believes sophisticated
technologies and know-how for the
recovery and use of secondary raw
materials in Europe have not yet been
fully utilised. ‘More than 50% of the
municipal waste in Europe is still being
landfilled,’ Rehbock states. ‘These tick-
ing environmental time bombs are con-
tinuously threatening soil, water, air and
climate. The bvse therefore believes that
it is of vital importance to set the course
for a modern circular economy force-
fully and appreciates that the Circular
Economy Package of the EU Commission
sends the right political signal.’

In particular, his organisation is urging the
European Commission, the European
Parliament and member states to stop
financial support for new landfills and to
establish a binding road map to the clo-
sure of landfills in Europe. The German
association insists that the Circular Econ-
omy Package should be more than mere
political gestures and so warns against
over-regulation. ‘This may lead to negative
effects,’ Rehbock argues. This policy area
is not about solving disposal problems but
about generating secondary raw materials
from waste in an important industry with
a growing, dynamic market and a great
number of market actors, it is added.
According to the bvse, the European
economy is facing a substantial loss of
potential secondary raw materials given
that 500 million tonnes of recyclables are
landfilled or incinerated. The bvse calls for
the development of separate collection
of waste throughout Europe. Rehbock
explains: ‘Separate collection guarantees
that quality materials are available for
economically sound recycling. Despite the
existing sorting technologies, separate
collection remains an indispensable
driver of quality that needs to be devel-
oped further.’ www.bvse.de

bvse urges EU to close
landfills in Europe

RI-10 NEWS.indd 10 08-12-14 08:59