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Recycling Bottles

Society, Individuals
and Waste 

Thematic unit designed to bring together experts from social sciences, humanities and arts. In March 2020, the European Commission adopted a New Action Plan for the Circular Economy. It is one of the main elements and the backbone of the European Green Deal, the new European program for sustainable development. The percentage of separate waste collection and recycling is growing across Europe and the world. New trends are emerging like green consumer and tourist, zero waste lifestyle, veganism and vegetarianism, all due to the growing level of environmental concern and awareness regarding the problem of waste generation and disposal. However, the problem of waste generation and management, its disposal and increasing pollution of the environment, especially plastics in the sea, is becoming one of the biggest political and environmental problems in the world. Therefore, the aim of this thematic unit is to encourage discussion about the relationship between society, culture, education, our individual and collective action, consumer and other habits and generation, treatment, management and disposal of waste at local, national and international levels, encourage exchange of ideas, experiences and examples of good practice, especially between civil society, academia, the education system, public services and a number of other stakeholders who are actively involved in the problem.

Marine Litter

Marine litter is one of the fastest growing global threats to marine ecosystems with a major environmental, cultural, health and economic impacts and consequences. A large proportion of quantities relate to plastics, which due to their longevity poses the greatest danger to the marine environment and human health. It enters the sea exclusively due to human activities on land or sea, i.e. due to deficiencies and omissions in the waste management system. It is estimated that about 80% of waste in the sea comes from land sources and land activities, like illegal landfills, wind and leaching into the sea by rainwater, as a byproduct of tourism activities, etc. About 20% of waste ends up in irresponsible activities, maritime transport and fisheries. It is estimated that as much as 70-80% of the total waste in the Mediterranean Sea is microplastic, which is formed by the decomposition of plastic waste already present in the sea. The problem of marine litter is increasingly visible and obvious in the Republic of Croatia, but we are faced with a lack of appropriate data from systematic research, which is the main problem related to this issue. Marine litter is not an environmental problem that can only be solved by law enforcement, beach cleaning and technical solutions. It is also a cultural issue and significant efforts are needed to change behavior, approach to management, and the involvement of all sectors and interests is needed.

Plastic Bag in Ocean
Društvo
Morski
Signing a Contract

Public Policies
and Waste Management

EU waste policy aims to contribute to the circular economy by extracting high-quality resources from waste as much as possible. The European Green Agenda aims to promote growth by moving to a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. As part of this transition, several EU waste laws will be revised. The Waste Framework Directive is the EU's legal framework for waste treatment and management in the EU. It introduces an order of preference for waste management called the "waste hierarchy". Certain categories of waste require special approaches. Therefore, as well as a comprehensive legal framework, the EU has many laws to deal with different types of waste. Nevertheless, the principles of reducing, reusing, recycling form the basis of the EU legislative framework. Modern policies rely on strategies such as extended producer responsibility, sustainable packaging and design, efficient separate collection and recycling, special disposal standards and the like. However, there is a certain inconsistency in national approaches among EU member states, and Croatia stands out. Also, the issue of marine litter has been identified as an extremely serious and worrying problem, but more concrete policies to prevent and mitigate this problem at the global and international levels are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this thematic unit is to bring together experts from various fields of natural, technical and social sciences that primarily deal with the analysis, setting and evaluation of policies aimed at waste management and mitigation of pollution in the environment and nature.

Politike

Circular Economy
and Waste Treatment Technologies

The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that includes the exchange, lease, reuse, repair, restoration and recycling of existing materials and products for as long as possible to extend the life cycle of the product. Waste treatment technologies are a set of techniques, skills and advanced engineering tools applied in environmental engineering in accordance with the principles of sustainable development and environmental protection. The aim of the thematic unit is to bring together experts and stakeholders to exchange ideas and examples of good practice and discuss the link between the principles of the circular economy and modern waste treatment technologies.

Recycled Cardboard
Kružna
Wood Cutlery

Business Sector
and Waste Management

Industrialization, the development of science, urbanization and population growth have contributed to the growing production of various types of waste. The business sector is affected by high waste management prices, but is also the focus of innovative waste management concepts. To prevent improper delays and enable the implementation of the circular economy concept, partnerships with the business sector are necessary. Waste, i.e. its disposal, is one of the key environmental problems of today that the business sector specifically faces. This thematic unit is designed to bring together companies and small businesses that exemplify environmentally sustainable business and business on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle, and with the aim of innovative solutions in environmental protection, to reduce their environmental footprint. In addition, the goal is to bring together those entrepreneurs engaged in, i.e., work in the field of waste management, waste collection, recycling and related.

Poslovni
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