On March 09, 10 and 11, the participants of our 45th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries (EM45) went on excursion to complement their lectures on waste management. Participants Marine Voskanyan from Armenia and Ulemu Makumba from Malawi kindly prepared a report about their field trip:
“Germany’s Waste Management is the model of the best practice of the waste management of developed country, which is not easy to realize in developed countries immediately, even the environmental consequences are obvious․ Germany’s Waste Management consists of five-level waste hierarchy that lays down a fundamental series of steps comprising waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and other elements besides, including energy recovery, and finally waste disposal. 20 fellows from ongoing 45th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management at CIPSEM, Technical University Dresden (TUD), Germany set out on an excursion to three-day site visits on waste management facilities within Dresden City. These site visits were meant to help the fellows see some of theoretical foundations that had been provided in class being implemented practically in industry. Even though some of the technologies were a little futuristic for most participants from developing countries, the visits were beneficial since there are possibilities that developing countries might get international financial investments to solve waste related issues.
During site visits, the participants raised many questions, and thanks to highly qualified workers they found the answers. The contacts were shared among the participants and the industry experts even after they get back to their home countries. Although Germany has achieved a lot already, it still faces challenges.
On Wednesday 9th March 2022, the first day site visits were at:
- Stadtreinigung Dresden GmbH (Waste Collection Site, Recycling Center, Closed down Landfill / Landfill-gas Utilization),
- Dresdner Abfallverwertungsgesellschaft GmbH (Closed down Biologic – mechanic waste treatment plant (BMA)/ Waste reloading facility),
- Nordmineral Recycling GmbH & Co. KG (Mineral Waste Sorting and Recycling)
- Lebenshilfe, inpuncto Werkstätten (Electric and Electronic Scrap Dismantling and Sorting)
- Sewage Sludge Utilization (Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH).
The first site visited was the Waste Collection Site, a leading waste management company in Dresden. The company offers collection, transportation, treatment and recycling of waste. Residents of Dresden walk into the facility to drop off their residential waste at no costs also the company gets the waste from different households in the city of Dresden. The site is open from 7 am to 7 pm so that residents are ensured of depositing their waste at maximum time. Besides waste management, the company also offers cleaning and washing services (e.g. cleaning properties, streets, garages, car parks) and winter service where they clear and grit places e.g. streets.
Germany, like many other European countries, decided to close its landfills so that it attains its goal of turning into a circular economy that avoids generating waste and uses unavoidable waste as a resource wherever possible. Not only were the landfills closed for a circular economy but were also closed, because they posed serious environmental threats like reducing the quality of groundwater and surface water and have significant effect on landscape. Participants therefore were taken to a closed down landfill/ land fill-gas utilization in the same vicinity. There are people working on site where gas is produced and used for electricity generation and monitor leachate.
The Biological Mechanical Waste Treatment Plant (BMA)/ Waste Reloading Facility was a major thrill for Dresden as Dresden was the first major city in Germany to have ecological residual waste treatment, in which all material flows are recycled. The Biological Mechanical Plant was processing residual waste from households, waste paper basket and commercial waste. Unfortunately, the facility was closed down but with the possibility of the facility to open again later in the near future.
Later on during the excursion, we had a lecture on waste management in the city of Dresden. Participants were given the insights on how Dresden is working towards achieving waste management, whose aim was prevention, minimization, reuse, recycle, energy recovery and treatment and disposal. The city offers environmental/waste education for its younger generation so that they practice and never lose track as they grow older. There are also some activities involving the communities in cleaning up the city from waste.
Another interesting place seen during the excursion was the Mineral Waste Sorting and Recycling, Nordmineral Recycling GmbH & Co. KG. This facility is responsible for demolishing and managing construction waste and further grinds it to produce a new product that is used for road construction.
The next stop was the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling Company. This company offers jobs to mental, physical or multiple disabled and chronically mentally ill people that cannot yet be employed on the general labor market due to their disability or illness. Inside the premises, participants were able to appreciate how electronics such as phones, laptops, and video cassettes were being dismantled, sorted and recycled. The aim of the company is to protect the environment and health. It also aims at conserving the natural resources where it aims to avoid waste and recycle the waste as efficiently as possible. With circular economy in mind, the company fixes some electronics where they are able to sell some second hand goods that they have managed to repair.
Water is a finite and vulnerable resource that requires protection and conservation. The Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH, Sewage Sludge Utilization facility, helps contribute to protecting the environment and careful use of valuable resources like water. The waste water treatment plant provides services in disciplines of the waste water treatment, environmental analysis and the planning and construction of waste water systems. The treatment plant is not only for Dresden but also surrounding municipalities. The company is able to generate electricity from the waste water/sludge and also able to treat waste water and make it clean water that’s let to flow back in the Elbe River.
After the first day visit impressions, participants thought there was nothing more that could amaze them, but little did they know that the second day held even more exciting activities. On day two, 4 sites were visited and these were:
- Veolia Umweltservice Ost GmbH (Light Packaging service, Waste Packaging service),
- Papierfabrik Hainsberg GmbH (Waste paper recycling),
- RETTERA Freital GmbH & Co. KG (Bio waste composting),
- REMONDIS Industrie Service GmbH & Co. KG (Hazardous waste pretreatment).
At Veolia Umweltservice Ost GmbH, participants saw how light packaging waste was put on conveyor belts and separated into different waste fractions using near infrared and air jet.
The second place to visit was Papierfabrik Hainsberg GmbH. This is a paper manufacturing company based in the Hainsberg district of Freital that specializes using waste paper to produce printing, office, packaging, envelope papers and colored papers. Fellows were first given a talk on occupational health and safety issues to be considered during the tour. They were also told that more than 80% of waste paper in Germany is recycled and besides paper production they got to see how the factory treated water that is harvested from the nearby stream for utilization in the factory’s industrial activities.
RETTERA Freital GmbH & Co. KG was the next port of call after the paper recycling factory. In this site, fellows saw organic waste was turned into composting and organic fertilizer. Organic waste is first shredded, and then placed into three composting chambers for about three weeks before been placed in 3 metres windrow rows for further maturation. The internal temperature of the compost has to reach more than 63OC in order to kill off pathogenic organics. Participants took turns to measure the temperature, which was an adventure for them. After the compost is matured, it is further sieved into different products which are sold to the public. Participants asked whether this activity was economically viable and they were told that it was as people paid to bring in their waste and paid money to purchase the compost.
After the composting visits, fellows had an opportunity to practice principle of waste avoidance! Participants found nice ceramic utensils in a skip bin close to their bus and took them as trophies!
The final site to be visited was REMONDIS Industry Service GmbH & Co. KG which does hazardous waste pretreatment. Fellows saw how hazardous waste was labeled using the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. They also saw how acidic chemicals were neutralized and stabilized.
After an interesting day, the fellows sat heavily into their seats and for the better part of the journey there was silence as people reflected on what they had seen during the day. A few occasional chats were shared when fellows saw photovoltaic farms along the way and connected them with what they had learnt in the renewable energy module.
The German Government funds projects on Bio-waste. The participants were privileged to visit the TUD Institute of Waste Management and Circular economy in Pirna to learn more and understand the waste management system done there. The facility does research on digestive of waste where they get biogas and use for energy production where they are able to produce electricity and useful heat. This is environmentally friendly waste as a heterogeneous resource, they sort the waste where it is further analyzed. The facility has different laboratories, for example biological lab where soils and other waste are reduced by biological ways, preparation lab for sample preparation and hydrocarbons laboratory for analysis.
The 3 days’ excursion ended up with a unique journey back to Dresden’s past and experience the city in a 360° Panorama! Artist Yadegar Asisi’s panoramas tower of 27 m height is a visit card of exhibitions and museums in Dresden.
The participants were impressed by Panometer Dresden, where is located the world’s biggest panorama.
Professional and cultural exchange inspires fellows for the future stronger steps to develop their countries, to find local solutions for global achievement.”
by Marine Voskanyan (Armenia) & Ulemu Makumba (Malawi)
On March 1, 2016 the group of 21 participants of the 39th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUB International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing and Emerging Countries (EM39) set out with Dr. Lohmann to visit several recycling facilities. This was part of the waste management and circular economy module of the course.
UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV course program 