Waste prevention is key, say French advisors Friday 16 May 1997 Waste prevention is key, say French advisors A working group reporting to French environment minister Corinne Lepage has recommended a battery of actions to improve municipal waste management and reduce environmental impacts. Waste prevention should be the linchpin policy, involving all actors in waste generation, management and disposal, say the advisors, in a report published yesterday in Paris. This is the third report produced by the Cellule de prospective et strategie, which was set up by the environment ministry in 1994 to provide advice in chosen areas based on consensus between a diverse group of experts. The report was compiled by a working group which included experts in industry, local government and environmental groups.
Prevention is the key to future waste strategies, the advisors say.
Certain toxic substances that appear in municipal waste should be withdrawn from use. Consumers should increasingly bear the cost of waste management, while an existing tax on waste to be landfilled should be substantially increased. Manufacturers should focus more on the waste management implications of their products. According to Dominique Dron, the environment ministry official who coordinated the working group, a lack of discussion between product manufacturers, waste managers and consumers has led to designs that cause problems when the products become waste. Local authorities also have a large role to play in preventing waste, the group says.