- Title: EU-RECYCLE/LATVIA From rats to yellow tomatoes: the new EU business model
- Date: 15th July 2015
- Summary: RIGA, LATVIA (JULY 13, 2015) (REUTERS) VIEW FROM GETLINI LANDFILL GARBAGE MOUNTAIN DOWN TO ENERGY GENERATOR AND GREENHOUSE GARBAGE AND RIGA SKYLINE GARBAGE TRUCK ENTERING LANDFILL TRUCK DRIVING TOWARDS LANDFILL VARIOUS OF WASTE BEING DUMPED ON LANDFILL TRACTOR PUSHING WASTE MOUNTAIN OF WASTE/SEAGULLS SEAGULLS LOOKING FOR FOOD IN WASTE LANDFILL/SEAGULLS ENERGY GENERATOR AND
- Embargoed: 30th July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Latvia
- Country: Latvia
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA2D50Q00OJS7D1F9CORJ0BADW0
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A Soviet-era rubbish dump in a swamp on the outskirts of Riga was once an obstacle to Latvia's European Union membership. Now, it's becoming a model of the resource use and waste management EU policymakers are striving to promote.
For Rigans, the new symbols of the Getlini landfill are yellow tomatoes grown with renewable energy generated from methane produced by waste.
They are pollinated by bumble bees specially imported from Belgium, headquarters of the EU, which made reform of the rat-infested health hazard a requirement for Latvia's EU accession in 2004.
As well as harnessing planet-warming methane, the revamped site, which handles around half of Latvia's rubbish, seals in other pollutants with a layer of clay and has transformed mounds of refuse into grassy slopes on which sheep graze.
The next step is to cut the need for landfill.
"The garbage takes up a lot of space, here you can see how big the mountains of waste are. Getlini receives 300 thousand tonnes of garbage annually, it takes up a lot of space. If nothing is done, then more and more land will be covered by waste and the problems which are caused by the concentration of so much waste in one area are also not small," said technical director of the Getlini power plant, Aigars Peksens.
"The so called waste-gas is being emitted that pollutes the atmosphere, also methane gas is dangerous for the ozone layer. The water coming from the waste is also not environmentally friendly, it has to be filtered before returning into nature," Peksnes added.
The Latvians plan to open a recycling factory near the site in October and have a 10-year goal to reuse between 85 and 90 percent of the 300 tonnes of waste deposited in the landfill every year.
"An energy generator collects the gas emitted from the landfill and cleans it and produces electricity in the internal combustion engines. The engines warm up, just like in a car. Therefore, the energy generator needs a big radiator to cool down. The greenhouse is the radiator of this big car. So the only connection between the greenhouse and the landfill is that the heat coming from it," explained agronomist Guntars Strauts.
The heart from the giant engines is distributed throughout the greenhouse using a system of pipes, that reaches every bush of the yellow tomatoes harvested there.
"The heating is necessary also in summer, even during heat as the unnecessary moisture has to be extracted from the greenhouse, so that the plants don't get any fungal diseases," Strauts added.
Riga's efforts chimed with a debate earlier this month at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on resource use.
Members of the assembly called for an ambitious EU-wide strategy on cutting waste.
Sirpa Pietikainen, a Finnish member of the centre-right European People's Party, drew a parallel with the Greek crisis, saying wasting resources could bankrupt not just a nation but the entire planet.
The 28-country EU, which produces only around 30 percent of the natural resources it needs, will bear the brunt.
The Commission quotes research that moving towards a circular economy could save around 600 billion euros ($666 billion) over 10 years as, for instance, the cost of cutting emissions drops, health improves and less energy is required.
The Getlini site, owned by the local authorities, was set up a decade ago with $21 million, provided by the Latvian and Swedish authorities and the World Bank.
It employs nearly 100 people and generates annual revenue of nearly 12 million euros, including sales of electricity and more than 450 tonnes of tomatoes.
ING bank, in a report in May, says the financial community must embrace the change from "take, make and waste" to "reduce, reuse and recycle" and analyse which business models will triumph. The shift in attitude is striking. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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