9.9.2009, 9:00
Waste material recovery reduces emissions which accelerate climate change. Thanks to recycling and energy recovery, waste materials can be used to reduce the need for raw materials and fossil fuels, which in turn results in reduced emissions in the production cycle.
In 2008, Lassila & Tikanoja’s (L&T) recycled raw material and fuel deliveries served to notionally reduce Finland’s CO2 emissions by a good two million ton, i.e. a bit more than in the previous year. This is equivalent to about a half of all emissions caused by goods delivery traffic by road in the whole of Finland. As far as material recycling is concerned, the most important factors to reduce emissions are recycling of paper, cardboard, plastics and metals.
”Using waste management means, recycling of waste materials to produce raw materials is by far the most successful way to reduce emissions. If recycling is not possible, the second best way is to use the materials to produce recovered fuel, which can replace fossil fuels in energy production focused on maximised electricity yield, mainly in the industrial sector. In terms of climatic impact, there are significant differences between different waste management solutions and these differences should be observed when outlining future developments in Finland”, says L&T’s Lassi Hietanen, Senior Specialist.
In spite of increased operative volumes, the CO2 emissions caused by L&T’s own operations – amounting to some 70,000 ton - were reduced in 2008. As compared to last year, thanks to factors including more efficient transports, emissions were reduced by almost 7 per cent.
The climatic impact of L&T’s operations is calculated annually using a model created by VTT.
Additional information:
Lassi Hietanen, Senior Specialist, L&T, tel. +358 50 385 8925
Mikko Saariaho, Communications Manager, L&T, tel. +358 400 538 352