Waste management and its possible development in the Slovak Republic

Abstract

This paper analyses the climate impacts of the individual waste management activities expressed in the waste management hierarchy. The author seeks to include the mentioned impacts in the Slovak reality of waste management. Moreover, this paper includes foreign approaches to municipal waste management and the analysis of the extent of merits and demerits of waste-to-energy plants. Herein, the author seeks to assess the current possibilities of heat and electricity production from municipal waste. According to the waste management hierarchy, the waste to-energy approach is better and more suitable than waste landfilling (waste disposal). However, it must not collide with higher methods of waste management hierarchy. The mentioned principle should be respected when performing the waste-to-energy approach; however, some types of materials are not suitable for higher methods of the waste management hierarchy, such as personal protective equipment, including facemasks, protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments, or equipment predominantly designed to protect the wearer9s body from infection by COVID-19. Per my perspective, these waste materials are highly suitable for waste-to-energy production because of their depreciation caused by the possible infection. Therefore, the methods of prevention, re-use, or recycling are not applicable to them. However, these objects have the potential to serve as sources of energy. In my knowledge, Slovak legislation has not responded in a specific legislative way that would state how to manage the aforementioned objects. Thus, in general, this paper elucidates the possible development of waste-to-energy plants in the Slovak Republic and also describes the author9s approach to the opportunities of the landfill backdown in the Slovak legal environment.