Non-Combustion Technology Already Available

We don't need to burn POPs waste!

The European Union has an opportunity to prevent toxic recycling through the substantial strengthening of limit values for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in waste, known as Low POPs Content Levels. Establishing strong limit values for POPs in waste today will significantly promote the future of a toxic-free circular economy, because it will promote innovation in recycling, increase the pressure on industrial designers to remove POPs from products, and ensure that the circular economy is not poisoned in its infancy.

The Stockholm Convention requires the destruction of wastes that exceed Low POPs Content Levels. However, some industry players are pushing EU regulators to set weak limits that would allow them to use materials heavily contaminated with POPs in recycling. Recycling of POPs goes against the whole objective of the Stockholm Convention! This fact sheet explodes the myth that POPs waste needs to be destroyed with high-temperature incineration that creates a further cycle of dioxin emissions to air and mountains of toxic ash laced with more POPs. Some countries in Europe have already been moving beyond polluting incinerators, implementing non-combustion technologies for POPs waste destruction. These advanced, clean technologies are able to destroy POPs waste without dioxin emissions and without generating toxic ash residues. This paper provides a brief description of the proven POPs waste destruction technologies that can be used to clean the waste from POPs before its further use or disposal.