Transkripzioa:

We live on an amazing planet of breathtaking natural contrasts outstanding scenery.Biscay is a unique combination of blue sea, green mountains colourist urban landscapes.

But the quality of our land, water air depends on our processing the waste we produce properly. Waste is a serious environmental problem, a problem we must solve by substituting the concept we currently have of using throwing them away for that of re-using recycling. We must transform waste into resources then process them correctly in order to improve our quality of life.

The proper treatment of urban waste is one of the keys of the Biscay County Council´s environment policy. The efficient management of waste requires the co-ordination of different Agents participating together in an integrated system.

Back in the `90`s, Biscay started to apply new environmental policies under its 1st Plan for the Integral Management of Urban Waste in Biscay 1997-2001 waste began to be collected selectively before it was recycled, thus giving it new value. Non valuable waste was dropped dumped in controlled sanitary landfills.

As of the year 2000, we are working so that all generated waste is treated using recycling processes, mechanical biological treatment incineration so that non valuable waste is deposited in the proper sanitary landfills.

To this end, the policy set down by the prevailing 2nd Plan for the Integral Management of Urban Waste in Biscay 2005-2016 is applied. The aim of the Plan is to provide citizens with a quality service with maximum levels of environmental protection in accordance with prevailing norms principles of sustainable development.

This materialises in the sustainable waste management which follows a strategic line that can be summed up in the concepts of prevention, waste upgrading zero raw waste dumped.

Prevention is the main objective. This means generating the least possible amount of residue encouraging the re-use of materials.

The upgrading of waste inevitably generated is the next step: giving a new value to materials using recycling, composting by exploiting energy.

And lastly zero raw waste dumped. This is the most ambitious objective: making sure that no urban waste whatsoever ends up on a landfill without its having been previously processed.

Prevention waste upgrading are based on the fact that the vast majority of the waste we produce can be recycled and/or reused. These steps not only protect the environment, but provides us with new, useful materials. Using the following steps, we can put the recycling process into motion : waste recovery, its selective collection transport, its being recycled turned into new raw materials, the manufacture packaging of new products, their distribution sales and, lastly their being consumed all over again.

To this end, different types of containers for proper waste selection collection have been placed at the disposal of citizens waste is collected selectively all of them. We’ll find the different containers scattered the length breadth of Biscay. Collection begins with these containers which a high percentage of waste is recovered. Each correctly deposited waste is transported to its corresponding processing plant for treatment.

The “Garbigunes” “Green Points” are Selective Waste Collection Centre for both domestic similar types of waste. We’ll always fin done close at hand so that we can deposit those materials that can be re-used, recycled and/or upgraded completely free-of-charge. Nowadays, these “Green Points” make up extensive network of centres that are perceived by users as being very friendly indeed. So much so, in fact, that their usage figure by citizens is extremely high indeed.

In addition to which, different urban waste collection treatment systems already exist in Biscay. At urban waste sanitary landfills such as Igorre Jata, electric energy is generated biogas coming the decomposition of the previously mentioned waste.

Elimination of the largest quantity of urban waste in Biscay however takes place in the Zabalgarbi recovery plant. This is also where waste transfer plants of Durango, Gernika, Zalla Berriatua comes. With the collaboration of participating companies, the County Council public company, Garbiker, completes the waste treatment recycling upgrading cycle. This is also when new raw materials are produced waste.

In this way, we can manufacture polar fleece jackets CDs, for example, make new plastic bottles ones that had been thrown away. We can make car parts discarded soft drinks cans. To mention but a few of the vast number of things that can be manufactured.

Since of most of the rubbish waste produced in Biscay can be made the most of materially energetically, waste recycling recovery figures have sustainably increased to the point where we in Biscay now find ourselves at the forefront of urban waste processing at European level. In order to meet our commitment, the Environment Department of the County Council of Biscay continuous to work on new projects such as mechanical-biological treatment composting plants.

The day is approaching when we will have zero raw waste dumped. We are making Biscay a more habitable spot. our planet too.