prop · GE0390 · 1990-12-31 00:00:00 — It is alsosuspected that they cause direct damage to vegetation. Certain ofthe fractionsinto which these solvents decompose are persistent and are stored in organisms. TheGovernment is therefore of the opinion that chlorinated solvents should bephased out. As a first step, the sale of consumer products containingchlorinated solvents which are hazardous to health and to the environment is tobe prohibited as of 1 January 1993. The use of these solvents is to ceaseentirely by 1995 with certain exceptions. Theuse of certain hazardous additives in plastics, including chlorinated paraffins, flameproofing agents containing bromine, phtalic compounds and organotin compounds, is to be limited sharply. The goal is that the use 101 8 1990/91. ofadditives that have anegative effect on health and the environment is to Prop. 1990/91:90 bediscontinued. Inspectorate and the are to draw up a joint proposal conceraing limitations. Workis to concentrate on rapid phasing out ofthe substances in the groups that aremost harmful to the environment. Use of nonyl-phenol epoxides should also bephased out. Thereis good reason to view the heavy metals mercury, cadmium and lead particularlyseriously. The Government is now to approve the phase-out plan for mercuryproposed by the and the ChemicalsInspectorate. By 1995, of current use is to have been phased out, and 75%by the year 2010. The objective is that use is to cease entirely. A number ofmeasures are to be implemented. Since 1 Febraary 1990, the sale of batterieswith a mercury and cadmium content exceeding 0.025 per cent by weight has beenprohibited. ther-mometers containing mercury should be prohibited from1992. Other thermometers containing mercury, together with circuit breakers,instmments and industrial measuring equipment should be prohibited from1993. Mercury in fluorescent lamps and other lamps is to be phased outsuccessively. The use of mercury in laboratories is to be restricted throughthe dissemination ofinformation. The discharge of mercury from point sources isto be reduced sharply, through the imposition of new conditions when permitsare reviewed pursuant to the Environment Protection Act. SwedishBoard of Heafth and Welfare is to be given the task of investigating the possibilityof phasing out amalgam in dental care. Theuse of lead should also be discontinued in the long term. As has been statedabove, a greater tax differentiation is to be introduced between leaded andunleaded petrol. All laying of lead-sheathed underground ca-bles is to haveceased by 1995. The transfer from lead shot to more environmentally sound shotfor hunting is to be achieved through information campaigns and voluntaryundertakings early next century. Authorities are to implement measures for thereduced use of lead in, among other things, different consumer products. TheRiksdag has recently approved the Goverament's proposal concerning a programmeof measures to deal with containing lead. According to thisprogramme, alteraative types and alternative starting systems should bedeveloped to replace lead . The recovery of lead is to bemade permanent and nationwide information campaigns are to be carried out. Theprogramme is to be financed by a charge to be paid by manufacturers andimporters of lead . Theuse of arsenic and chrome compounds in wood impregnating agents must be reducedsharply. If the regulations issued by the Chemicals Inspectorate with respectto wood impregnating agents do not lead to a sufficient reduction, theGovernment will consider whether to introduce an environmental tax in order toreduce the use of these substances. Theuse of cadmium is also to cease. has prcviously introduced restrictions on major areas of application. The main areas of application are now in . Cadmium also occurs as a contaminant in fertilizers 102 As has prcviously been mcntioned, the possibilites Prop.1990/91:90 of limiting the cadmium content in artifical feritlizers is to belooked into. Thecadmium content of fertilizers used in is to be sharply limited throughthe use of available technology. The Government intends to investigate theneeds, possibilities and consequences of introducing an environmental charge oncadmium in fertilizers when the current price control system ceases. Proposalsare also being looked into concerning the highest permittcd levels of cadmiumin fertilizers Theuse of cadmium in rechargeable nickel/cadmium represents more thanhalf of the cadmium used in and is also increasing rapidly. A system forrecovering such is to be introduced in order to prevent their spreadin the environment. An incentive should be introduced for the retura of usedbatteries. The Government intends to raise the environmental charge onnickel-cadmium to SEK0.30/g bat-tery weight. A charge will also bepayable for fixed re-chargeable . The charge is to finance collection,disposal, information campaigns and incentives. Fixed re-chargeablenickel-cadmium are to be prohibited as of 1994. Correspondingregulations will then be introduced in the EC. Internationalcoordination plays an important part. The concrete measures proposed in thesephase-out plans are to be coordinated insofar as is possible with other EFTAcountries and the EC, and are to be implemented after the normal notification.The authorities are systematically to continue their work on identifyingsubstances which should be restricted. They are also to take the measuresrequired in order to implement the restrictions in practice. The Governmentintends to extend the authorization ofthe Chemicals Inspectorate and theSwedish pursuant to the Act on Chemical Productsunder this Act. AtSwedish initiative, a project has been started in the in order to identifythe substances whose use should be strictly limited or completely phased out.Five substances have to date been identified for possible risk-reducingmeasures, i.e. mercury, lead, cadmium, methylene chloride and flame-proofingagents containing bromine. Agreementshave also been reached at the in order to limit theuse and discharges of the substances which have already been identified as sohazardous that they should be phased out. Economicinstmments can be used as an incentive to source separation. For this reason,the Government intends to give the municipalities should have the right toimpose differentiated waste charges in order to stimulate source separation ofwaste. Theprogramme for reducing the volume and hazardous nature of waste and increasingsource separation, recovery and recycling is being implemented according to thedecision of the Riksdag. The municipalities have been given increasedresponsibility for the handling of waste. The Goverament isalso proposing that the Riksdag should approve the ratification by ofthe Convention on the Control of Transfrontier Shipment and FinalDisposal of Hazardous . InMay 1990, the Riksdag approved the Goveramenfs proposed waste managementprogramme. Overall goals in the programme are that the volume and hazardousnature of the waste must be limited and that the treatment ofthe waste thatdoes arise should be improved. The generation of environmentally hazardouswaste is to be avoided by reducing the content of harmful substances inproducts and goods. The problem can be solved effectively through preventivemeasures. Manufacturers andimporters of goods and products have the ultimate responsibility for theenvironmental impact and mismanagement of resources that can result frommanufacture, use, final disposal or recycling. During the 1980s, it becameincreasingly clear that purification technology or recycling technology isinadequate as the prime means of limiting the detrimental effects of waste.Measures are required which are aimed at preventing the generation of waste andpollution. The highest priority must be given to changes in products andprocesses that make the products environmentally sound at all stages of theirlife cycle and which make it possible to reduce the generation of waste and toreduce the content of hazardous substances in the waste. The generator of thewaste is also to bear the cost of handling the waste. The volume of wasteconstitutes an increasing problem in modera society. The Riksdag has prcviouslypassed a three-year programme with an overall framework of SEK87 million tosupport research into a society with low levels of waste. The research is to bedirected both at environmentally sound product development and at the handlingof waste. The Government has established a new authority, in Society, which is to allocate fundsfor environmentally sound product development. Thewaste management programme means that the municipalities are to begiven increased responsibility for the handling and planning of waste Prop.1990/91:90 disposal. All those who conduct commercial operations that generatewaste are to provide their municipality with the information required for wasteplanning. This is intended to provide a better overview and improvedinformation, at the same time as ensuring that the most suitable treatmentmethods are used for handling the waste. Asof 1994, source separation is to be developed with the aim that all wasteshould be sent to appropriate final treatment from the point of view of the environmentand resource management. The goal is that incineration and deposit ofunseparated waste is to have ceased by the end of 1993. The programme alsomeans that the municipalities will also have the right, from 1 January 1991, torequire source separation with the support of the law. At the same time, theSwedish has been given the role of centralsupervisory authority pursuant to the Refuse Collection Act. This will providethe municipalities with support in their work and enable coordination at anational level. However,the Goverament considers that the waste programme should be complemented witheconomic instmments. In the opinion ofthe Government, it should be madecompletely clear that the municipalities have the right to differentiate wastecharges as an incentive to source separation of waste. Further instraments areunder consideration. Alongsidethe work of limiting hazardous substances in goods and products, work must continueon reducing and dealing with the hazardous waste. The Government has appointeda commission to investigate how the flow of hazardous waste is likely todevelop during the 1990s on the basis of different assumptions. The commissionis also to clarify the various possibilities and costs of handling such waste.The work of the commission is to have been concluded by the end of 1991. Therecovery of hazardous has meant that approximately four ofmercury and över three of cadmium have been prevented from entering theenvironment each year. Duringthe autumn of 1990, the Government also tightened up the mies for the export ofhazardous waste. The change meant that the Swedish Environmental ProtectionAgency is to require information on how hazardous waste exported from isto be disposed of in the receiving country and to ensure that waste isdisposed ofin the agrecd . At the same time, it is made clear thathazardous waste may only be taken out of the country if it can be demonstratedthat the waste will be finally disposed of in a way which is acceptable fromthe point of view of health and the environment in . From now on, allexporters, including () must apply to theSwedish in order to be permittcd to removehazardous waste from the country. TheGoverament is proposing that the Riksdag should approve the Convention on the Control of Transfrontier Shipments and Final Disposal 105 ofHazardous , which will then be ratified by . The Conven- Prop.1990/91:90 tionincludes regulations aimed at protecting developing countries from thedumping of poisons. will also take the lead so that more countriesmay follow in ratifying the Convention. We should also work to ensurethat the Convention is observed and strengthened. particularlyneeds strengthening in terms of the follow-up of destruction 4.7.3Packaging, etc, Inorder to tackle the environmental problems generated in the area of packaging,the Government has appointed a committee with the task of proposing, amongother things, measures to promote retura systems. is to submitits report not later than . The Government intends to instractthe committee to draw up outline proposals which will give manufacturers,distributörs and the retail trade full responsibility for retura systems andthe recycling of packaging. Theproposed Recycling of Beverage Packaging Act is currently before the Riksdag.The proposal entails that as of I 1991 bottles made of PET plasticcontaining beverages for direct consumption may only be sold if they aresubject to a return system. Glassis used in many different areas. Some important product categories arepackaging glass, plate glass, glass fibre and glass wool. Pilot projectsconcerning municipal glass collection began in 1970. The number ofmunicipalities that collect glass and the amount of glass collected haveincreased significantly in recent years. The amount of glass recovered hasincreased över the years. The municipalities are responsible for investmentsin bottle banks, emptying, and intermediate storage. The reason for recyclingglass is to contribute to better management of society's energy and rawmaterials resources. It also contributes to a reduction in and reducedvolumes of waste, reduced risk of injury to refuse coUection personnel, lowerwear in machinery and equipment and less slag in the waste incineration plants.Glass in the waste handling process entails considerable cost. TheGoverament considers that glass recovery is important and should be increased.The producers should bear an increased responsibility for the recycling ofglass and for designing systems that are profitable. Interestin recycling paper has increased markedly in Westem Europé during the past 15 20 years. Recyded paper has also become an increas ingly important raw material for Swedish paper milis. Ofthe paper which is consumed in , about is recyded. The use of recyded paper has increased by a factor of three since the beginning of the 70s. An estimated one million of recyded paper were used in the pulp industry in 1990 and the forecast for the next five years indicates a continued sharp increase, particularly for newspapers and the like. The increase in the use of recyded paper has been made possible by the pulp and paper industry investing in recyded paper plants at the same time as the collection of used paper has developed positively. The possibilities offinding uses for recyded glass and paper vary. It is important that existingsystems for source separation and subsequcnt collection for reuse or recyclingcan continue to function. TheGovernment is proposing further funds for the liming of lakes and watercourses.The programme is being increased by SEK40 million for the coming budget year. Afurther SEK4 million is being allocated in order to protect and restorevaluable monuments that have been damaged by air pollution. SEK25 million peryear is to be reserved for the dean-up and restoration of polluted areas. Thisis a five-year programme and will be evaluated towards the end ofthe period. 4.8.1Measures in the environment Alongsidethe limitation of effluents, measures such as liming are required in theenvironment to stave off acidification. Liming can also contribute to reducingthe levels of mercury and radioactive caesium. Liming of lakes and watercoursesmay be required fora long time. Thedecisions reached to date in Europé concerning limitation of acidifyingemissions are not enough to reduce loads to the critical limits for precipitionof acidifying substances in the sensitive areas of . Even if thecountries of Europé succeed in limiting discharges considerably more than isnow planned, it will take decades before the effects of reduced discharges areseen in land and water systems. Liming will therefore have to continue for severalyears, particularly in lakes and watercourses. Thereis an extensive body ofinformation from the liming of lakes and watercourseswhich shows that the measures taken have been positive and effective. To date,state grants have been provided for över 5,500 lakes and about one hundredwatercourses. The Government is nowproposing that the liming programme be stepped up considerably. The mainobjective should be to handle all the re-liming and to increase liming in theinland of and the mountains. The rebuilding of treatment plants forlime precipitation should also continue. The extended liming programme can alsomean that the levels of caesium in fish will decline. The need for liming ismost pressing in the inland of , where watercourses and mountain lakes,several of them classed as being of national scientific interest in terms ofnature conservation, have become acidified. Alongsidethe liming of lakes and watercourses, measures also need to be directed at theeffects of air pollution on monuments and cultural objects. The damage that is takingplace today, particularly to sandstone and Prop. limestone ornaments onbuildings in the older town centres, must be halted.Other groups of materials, such as rock-carvings, ranestones, stone sculptures in mediaevalchurches and the like are rapidly being destroyed. Inorder to tackle the damage in the long term, the emission of sulphur and nitrogen pollutants mustbe reduced. Directprotection and conservation work on the most important groups of valuablemonuments is also required if the damage is not to be too extensive. TheGovernment is proposing that further funds be allocated for the protection andrestoration of monuments. Pilotactivities involving liming and fertilization in order to re-vitalize acidifiedwoodlands are to be completed. has been instmctedto look more closely into this matter. 4.8.2Clean-up and restoration of polluted areas Thereare old waste deposit sites, polluted soils and polluted bottom sediments inmany places in . These areas represent a threat to health and theenvironment, since the risk of hazardous substances leaching out and spreadingin the environment is very great in many places. Twoyears ago, special funds were allocated in the state budget for measuresagainst environmental damage. The funds were to be used for clean-up measuresin cases where no other body was responsible for carrying out such measures.The main rule is otherwise that the polluter should also be responsible forrestoration. Concrete clean-up action has been started with regard to miningwaste, fibre deposit sites and disused impregnation facilities. Special fundshave also been allocated for similar measures in the catchmentarea. The most important measures in this respect are to limit the leaching ofmetals from disused mining waste sites. The load of metals on the Baftic fromSwedish sources is to a large extent attributable to old mining waste in theDalälven catchment area. Inmunicipal planning it is important to highlight the need of restorationmeasures in urban and adjacent areas, considering the potential for utilizingthe land for new and appropriate purposes in the constmction of the community. TheGovernment considers that the work already started on existing environmentaldamage should continue. The Government is therefore proposing that furtherfunds be allocated for restoration measures. It is one of the duties of theSwedish to be responsible for orderingpriorities and implementing clean-up projects in cooperation with themunicipalities and industries concerned. Legislation being proposed Prop. Thecabinet has proposed the following draft legislation pursuant to theinformation in this bill Amendmentof the Act (1987:12) on , etc. (section 8), 2.Amendment of the Act (1991:000)on the amendment of the Act (1987:12) on , etc.(section 8), 3.Amendment of the EnvironmentProtection Act (1969:387) (sections Sand 12.2), 4.Amendment of the Water Act(1983:291) (sections 8 and 16.5.6), 5.Amendment ofthe Act (1987:12)on the , Expansion and Closure of Public Channels and PublicPorts, 6.Amendment ofthe Act (1977:439)on Municipal Energy Planning (section 8), 7.The Act on Prior Notificationof Biological Pesticides (section 13.3.4), 8.Amendment ofthe Act (1985:426)on (section 13.3.4), 9.Amendment ofthe RefuseCollection Act (1979:596) (sections 13.7.2 and 13.8.2), 10.Amendment ofthe MunicipalParking Surveillance Act (1987:24) (section 15.2.5), 11.Amendment of the Petrol Tax Act(1961:372) (secrion 15.2), 12.Amendment of the General (1961:372) (section 15.2), 13.Amendment ofthe NatureConservation Act (1964:822) (sections 16.5.1-16.5.3), 14.Amendment of the Off-roadDriving Act (1975:1313) (section 16.5.11), 15.Amendment of the Maintenance ofFarm Land Act (1979:425) (section 16.5.6), 16.Amendment ofthe Forestry Act(1979:429) (section 16.5.8), 17.Amendment of the High-gradeForest Act (1984:119) (section 16.5.14), 18.Amendment ofthe Planning andBuilding Act (1987:10) (section 16.5.6), 19.Amendment ofthe Fertilizer TaxAct (1979:429) (section 16.5.8). Amendments1-9 and 13-18 were drafted at the , amendments 4 and 5in consultation with the Minister of , 6 in consultation with theMinister of Industry, 15-17 in consultation with the Minister of Agriculture,and 18 in consultation with the Minister of Housing and Physical Planning.Amendment 10 was drafted at the inconsultation with the Minister of . Amendments 11 and 12were drafted at the , and amendment 19 at the Department ofAgriculture. The amendments under items1,2, and 3 (with regard to section 8), 4-8, 13- Prop. 1990/91:90 15. 16(with the exception of section 19c), 17 and 18 have been considered by theDrafts . The other amendments being proposed donot require the approval ofthe Committee. SwedishGovernment on Environmental Policy Prop.1990/91:90 Summary of the ............................................ 3 1The focus of the environmentalpolicy................... 5 2The objectives and strategiesofthe environmental policy 13 2.1 Theatmosphere and the climate...................... .. 14 2.1.1Protection of the ozone layer ................. 14 2.1.2Intemational cooperation ........................ .. 15 2.1.3Reducing effects on theclimate .............. 16 2.2 Transboundaryair pollutants........ ............... 21 2.2.2Objectives for transboundary airpollutants. 2.2.3International cooperation ........................ 26 2.3 Theenvironment in urban areas....................... 28 2.3.2Environmental objectives forthe urban areas 29 2.4 Naturalresources and nature conservation........ 32 2.4.2Objectives for natureconservation and management ofnatural resources................................ 34 2.4.3.......................................................... Interaationalcooperation 37 2.5 Watersand the seas..................................... .. 38 2.5.2Environmental objectives forwaters and the seas 41 2.5.3Intemational cooperation ........................ 42 3 Thestrategies and instmments of environmental policy 43 3.1International cooperation................................ 44 3.2Monitoring the state oftheenvironment............. 46 3.2.2International cooperation ....................... .. 47 3.2.3The purpose of environmentalmonitoring.... .. 48 3.3.1Introduction.......................................... .. 50 3.3.2Brief background.................................... .. 50 3.3.3International developments .................... .. 52 3.3.4New economic instraments inSweden ....... .. 53 3.4 Anew Environmental Code 56 3.4.1Introduction.......................................... .. 56 3.4.2Coordination of environmentallegislation..... .. 56 3.4.3Stricter environmentalrequirements........... .. 58 3.3.1Interaational coordination ...................... .. 58 3.5 Buildinga good environment in 59 3.5.1Introduction.......................................... .. 59 3.5.2Environmental impactassessments............ 60 111 3.5.1Planning for a betterenvironment.............. 61 ProP- 1990/91:90 3.5.2Built-up areas and traffic......................... 62