40 Years of Source Separation in Germany and Its Future

Abstract

In the early 1970s of the last century, new sorting and pyrolysis plants as well as new ideas for landfills were introduced and constructed. The result of this was a separate collection, recycling and reuse of material, and energy recovery from waste of more than 90% in a number of cities and areas in Europe.

What kinds of problems are we facing that we should solve in the future sooner rather than later? Today in our modern society, we need more than 90% of all known elements in our consumer products and produce a severe environmental problem. This makes a proper recycling and reuse of especially rare elements very difficult and a real challenge.

Chemicals are ubiquitous. Once man-made chemicals enter the environment, they can move around regionally and worldwide through a variety of mechanisms. High toxic concentrations can be found (in predator species and human beings).

The new threat is coming from closing the loop at a global scale. Plastic, paper and cardboard, lubricants, electronic devices, nano-coated material, and other products undergo a recycling process and make their way into a recovered material with unpredictable and unforeseen health and safety problems.

This is what we have to solve in the future.