Norway
Madame Chair and distinguished delegates
The precuationary principle, the polluter pays principle and the life-cycle perspective are three
key principles within Norwegian national waste policy.
Policy instruments should place the financial responsibility on those responsible for producing
the waste, thus creating an incentive for more environmentally friendly behavior. Efforts to
weaken the link between economic development and the rising volume of waste should be
promoted.
We encourage the development of sustainable waste management systems with focus on
waste prevention, recycling, energy recovery and environmentally safe disposal facilities. Waste
prevention should be based on an overall orientation with a focus on individual waste streams
and products life cycle.
Emissions from landfills poses a major problem worldwide. In 2007, methane emissions from
landfills in Norway amounted to 2 per cent of our total emissions of greenhouse gases. Since
July 2009 we have therefore prohibited the disposal of waste containing more than 10 percent
of biodegradable material.
To reduce emissions from land-fills, we also encourage greater energy recovery, recycling and
biological waste treatment. Biodegradable waste contains valuable material and energy
resources that should be utilized rather than disposed of.
Used goods from industrialised countries have become increasingly sought-after commodities
in some developing countries. This has led to a massive flow of obsolete electrical and
electronic equipment (e-waste) from developed to developing countries. Some of this
equipment contains hazardous substances that can have serious consequences on the
environment and human health ? especially when it ends up as waste or is improperly
managed. Shipments of these items are therefore strictly regulated in Norway and we have
recently increased our efforts regarding control and inspection to deal with this problem.
Transboundary movement should take place in line with the requirements of the Basel
Convention and increased enforcement is needed to improve detection of illegal shipments of
waste.
Thank you Madame Chair
The precuationary principle, the polluter pays principle and the life-cycle perspective are three
key principles within Norwegian national waste policy.
Policy instruments should place the financial responsibility on those responsible for producing
the waste, thus creating an incentive for more environmentally friendly behavior. Efforts to
weaken the link between economic development and the rising volume of waste should be
promoted.
We encourage the development of sustainable waste management systems with focus on
waste prevention, recycling, energy recovery and environmentally safe disposal facilities. Waste
prevention should be based on an overall orientation with a focus on individual waste streams
and products life cycle.
Emissions from landfills poses a major problem worldwide. In 2007, methane emissions from
landfills in Norway amounted to 2 per cent of our total emissions of greenhouse gases. Since
July 2009 we have therefore prohibited the disposal of waste containing more than 10 percent
of biodegradable material.
To reduce emissions from land-fills, we also encourage greater energy recovery, recycling and
biological waste treatment. Biodegradable waste contains valuable material and energy
resources that should be utilized rather than disposed of.
Used goods from industrialised countries have become increasingly sought-after commodities
in some developing countries. This has led to a massive flow of obsolete electrical and
electronic equipment (e-waste) from developed to developing countries. Some of this
equipment contains hazardous substances that can have serious consequences on the
environment and human health ? especially when it ends up as waste or is improperly
managed. Shipments of these items are therefore strictly regulated in Norway and we have
recently increased our efforts regarding control and inspection to deal with this problem.
Transboundary movement should take place in line with the requirements of the Basel
Convention and increased enforcement is needed to improve detection of illegal shipments of
waste.
Thank you Madame Chair
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