Jurgis Kazimieras Staniškis

Application of life-cycle assessment in optimisation of municipal waste management systems: the case of Lithuania

This paper discusses the ecological optimisation of municipal waste management systems. The purpose of this paper is to help local decision-makers in designing integrated waste management solutions that are ecologically optimal. The study uses life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to build a model and test different waste management scenarios in order to see whether the waste management hierarchy is influenced by regional conditions. The study also tests to which variables in waste management systems the end results of the LCA are most sensitive. The discussion is built around a case study in Lithuania where several waste management scenarios have been analysed and compared in the LCA framework. The paper reveals several methodology-related issues and discusses what implications waste-related policy intervention would have on the environmental outcomes of different waste management scenarios.

Promotion of cleaner production investments: international experience

Abstract Cleaner Production (CP) should be an essential part of any comprehensive environmental management system at an enterprise or national level. In many cases the adoption of CP improvements can reduce or even eliminate the need for end-of-pipe investments and therefore can have both environmental and economic benefits. Experience shows, that often companies having identified cost-effective and technically-feasible CP options, may still not be able to make necessary CP investment to realise the financial benefits and environmental advantages. Financing of CP projects varies among countries and types of the projects. Domestic and international efforts to strengthen environmental financing still face a number of serious obstacles, many of which are related to profound economic, political and social problems. The detailed evaluation of revolving fund establishment possibilities based on personal experience of the authors in Lithuania, Zimbabwe and Vietnam is presented in the paper.

Sustainable consumption and production as a system: experience in Lithuania

Activities in the area of sustainable consumption and production in Lithuania started in 1993 when the first cleaner production projects were implemented. The capacity in the area of cleaner production enabled further development and implementation of preventive environmental initiatives. Cleaner production activities have been followed by establishment of a system for development, financing and implementation of preventive innovations, implementation of environmental management systems (including development of new approaches for implementation, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises), product-oriented measures such as life cycle assessment, eco-design, and sustainability reporting. A very important role in building the basic capacity level and implementing the sustainable consumption and production initiatives in Lithuania has been played by the Institute of Environmental Engineering (APINI) at Kaunas University of Technology. This article presents an overview of activities in the area of sustainable consumption and production in Lithuania since 1992 as well as results/lessons learnt from these activities. To overcome barriers and to ensure progress in the area of sustainable consumption and production, a model of a system of sustainable consumption and production has been developed. The objective of the system is to minimise energy and material use as well as waste output, and to eliminate the “rebound” effect.

Increase in buildings sustainability by using renewable materials and energy

Sustainable development could be seen as indispensable condition for survival of civilization. Construction sector is a field with immediate need for reducing environmental impacts. Sustainability measures applied for buildings could produce very efficient results to the people. The paper provides the methods of construction sustainability increase by researching, developing, and applying the technologies which use renewable materials and energy. The paper analyzes the cases of both a solar eco house which was built of original prefabricated straw-bale panels and was designed to use direct solar energy; and an educational project promoting straw-bale construction and seeking to mitigate climate change. The project results have shown the need of spreading information on sustainable building methods to be accepted by wider society and to be applied to the construction industry. Monitoring of solar ecohouse has proved that direct solar energy gains are significant in reducing heating degree-days in 55°N latitude and in allowing to save half the energy needed for heating.

Sustainable consumption and production: how to make it possible

Consumer demand and consumption, if shifted to a sustainable pattern, in theory, should influence producers to meet that demand with sustainable production processes, greater choice of green products, and different consumption options, for instance, services instead of products. At the same time, increased choice and expanded consumption options should drive down relative prices, make green goods and services more affordable and accessible, and create a closed cycle leading to sustainable consumption and production (SCP) system. The paper reviews different cases of resource efficient and cleaner production as well as sustainable products and services developed in Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, and Spain. These research cases were selected from the presentations at the second international conference “Sustainable consumption and production: how to make it possible,” held on September 28–30 in Kaunas, Lithuania. An overwhelming message of the review is that the best results could be achieved when all stakeholders work together for a common vision of SCP for current and future generations. Multistakeholder cooperation together with new economics approach is challenging, but essential for the planet currently imperiled by overpopulation and over-consumption and, for the first time in human history, facing the situation of breaching the planetary boundaries.

Industrial waste minimization--experience from Lithuania.

Waste represents the loss of both material and energy resources. Because excessive waste generation is a symptom of inefficient production processes, low durability of goods and unsustainable consumption patterns, waste quantities can be considered as an indicator of how efficiently society uses raw materials. Therefore, good waste management begins with preventing waste from being generated. The objective of this paper is to present the work related to waste minimization in Lithuania by introducing successful examples from industry, to bring ideas and inspiration to authorities, companies, and others working in the field of waste minimization. The paper is supporting EU waste policy manifested in the EU waste strategy and the proposed Sixth Environmental Action Programme. Many enterprises are still unaware of the full costs of waste management. Therefore, by applying the methodology presented in the paper, companies could make substantial reductions in their waste, and therefore, disposal costs. Waste minimization (WM) often results in substantial savings through reduced purchasing costs and more efficient practices. It also has wide environmental benefits such as reduced energy consumption and less environmental pollution, conservation of natural resources and extension of valuable landfill capacity. Therefore, waste prevention should have the highest priority in waste strategies, as this is the only way to stop the growth of the amount of waste and reduce the loss of resources (EUC Bulletin 12, 1996).

Decision-making support system based on LCA for aseptic packaging recycling

In Europe post-consumer beverage carton packages are treated in three ways: dumped in a landfill, incinerated for energy recovery, and recycled. In recent years new technologies for beverage carton recycling have been developed and tested. At the same time in Europe the collection of second-hand raw materials is becoming more efficient. In order to facilitate and justify the decision-making process, different possibilities of poly-aluminium handling were analysed. For this reason, the objective of this study was to compare carbon footprints in the whole life cycle of selected technologies and to provide decision-making with data for beverage carton recycling. The paper is based on some of the results of the project ‘Sustainable Production through Innovations in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SPIN)’. The SPIN project is providing small- and medium-sized enterprises with a whole set of instruments that put entrepreneurs in a position to innovate their production processes and products leading to improved business and public benefits.

Institutional capacity building for pollution prevention centres in Central and Eastern Europe with special reference to Lithuania

Abstract The paper presents an overview of the experience of pollution prevention centres (PPCs) established in Central and Eastern Europe by the World Environment Center (WEC) with a special emphasis on the experience of the PPCs in Lithuania. The WEC established 11 PPCs, which still constitute the majority of pollution prevention/cleaner production centres in the region. The centres were established as independent industry consulting firms specialising in pollution prevention practices and technologies. The PPCs were created in partnerships with host institutions and received training in PP as well as in business planning, branding and marketing. Though WEC’s financial support largely ceased in 1998–1999, nine of the 11 PPCs became self-sufficient and continue to operate. The capacity built in the Lithuanian PPC resulted not only from its association with WEC, but also from other significant donor funded programmes in the region.

Solid recovered fuel production from biodegradable waste in grain processing industry

Management of biodegradable waste is one of the most important environmental problems in the grain-processing industry since this waste cannot be dumped anymore due to legal requirements. Biodegradable waste is generated in each stage of grain processing, including the waste-water and air emissions treatment processes. Their management causes some environmental and financial problems. The majority of Lithuanian grain-processing enterprises own and operate composting sites, but in Lithuania the demand for compost is not given. This study focused on the analysis of the possibility of using biodegradable waste for the production of solid recovered fuel, as a local renewable fuel with the purpose of increasing environmental performance and decreasing the direct costs of grain processing. Experimental research with regard to a pilot grain-processing plant has proven that alternative fuel production will lead to minimizing of the volume of biodegradable waste by 75% and the volume of natural gas for heat energy production by 62%. Environmental indicators of grain processing, laboratory analysis of the chemical and physical characteristics of biodegradable waste, mass and energy balances of the solid recovered fuel production, environmental and economical benefits of the project are presented and discussed herein.

The sustainable industrial development: reality and vision

The Institute of Environmental Engineering (APINI), Kaunas University of Technology developed a National Programme on Sustainable Industrial Development in Lithuania. This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy of Lithuania. The main objective of the programme is to help industry in coping with challenges and in utilizing opportunities of sustainable industrial development, i.e.: (i) to increase competitiveness of Lithuanian industry; (ii) to reduce negative process and product impact to the environment, (iii) to use energy and natural resources more rationally; and (iv) to improve work conditions and promote establishment of new workplaces. This paper presents key elements of the programme and an overview of progress in implementing sustainable industrial development measures in Lithuania over the past few years.