A selection of pictures from the Erhard Collection of the Environmental Library at the German Environment Agency in Dessau-Roßlau
The term “asbestos” means a family of naturally occurring fibrous minerals. In the past, asbestos was widely used in myriad products owing to its exceptional heat and chemical resistance, whereby white asbestos (chrysotil asbestos) and blue asbestos (crocidolie asbestos) were the types most commonly used.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a worldwide problem. PCB, which is a POP, has not been used in Germany for years and only occurs in certain wastes.
The term “hazardous waste” refers to various types of waste with defined hazardous properties that are harmful for the environment and/or human health. Hazardous waste must be handled using special techniques and processes that ensure safe and environmentally sound disposal by elimination of the hazardous substances contained in the waste.
Waste management is responsible for the entire waste cycle: from waste prevention, re-use and recycling to recovery and disposal. Their tasks include collection, transport, ,sorting and treatment of waste.
Thermal waste treatment, which is one of the mainstays of waste disposal in Germany, is carried out via various types of installations, depending on the type of waste involved. At nearly all such facilities, incineration energy is recovered to generate electricity, heat and/or process steam.
Pursuant to Germany’s Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz law, waste is to be disposed of in a safe and environmentally compatible manner, whereby the top priority in this regard is protecting human health and the environment. Various waste treatment, recycling and disposal techniques are used, depending on the nature of the waste in question and the waste management objective.
