Waste management and recycling

One of the critical issues for manufacturing industry sectors is the definition of by-products as products instead of waste. Commercialization of wastes and by-products appears to be one of the most viable ways of promoting their utilization. Therefore, Finnish companies together with research organizations have developed new methods for the utilization of both industrial and municipal waste as raw materials.

The EU's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive pressurizes manufacturers of electronic equipment to improve the recyclability of their electronic components. In conjunction, companies have developed new technologies for sorting of waste fractions such as electric and electronic scrap and waste plastic.

Companies have also developed more efficient landfill treatment equipment, new methods for landfill gas collection and treatment, and new processes for the clean-up of closed landfills. In addition, methods for biological and mechanical-biological treatment of waste have been developed as well as waste and sludge combustion and gasification technologies.

The leading Finnish environmental engineering companies are supplying waste treatment plants and landfills, waste-to-energy applications and solutions for waste minimization and recycling around the world.