Enviromental news
“Green Dot” goes to Carnex
Carnex company has gained the right to label its products with the ‘Green Dot’ sign. This has been achieved by closing a contract with the packaging waste management system operator ‘Sekopak Ltd.’ and on the basis of the Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste. By closing a contract with this company, Carnex has passed its responsibilities of recycling packaging waste and achieving the national goal to the authorized operator.
Carnex, as a user of this sign, is authorised by the Law to label primary packaging of goods placed on the market only on the territory of the Republic of Serbia. The sign can be used only on packaging which will become communal packaging waste.
‘Sekopak’ company possesses the exclusive right to use the ‘Green Dot’ on the territory of Serbia owing to the agreement made with the ‘Pro Europe’ organisation authorised to pass the right to the ‘Green Dot’ to other national packaging waste management system operators.
The company ‘Duales System Deutchland AG’ from Cologne possesses the right to the protected European trademark ‘Green Dot’ which was further on assigned to the company ‘Packaging Recovery Organisation Europe S.P.R.L’ from Brussels.
Action of Collecting Electronic and Electrical Waste from Households
The action of collecting hazardous waste from the households of Carnex employees lasted from April 6th to April 12th 2011 and 2,200 kg of hazardous waste was collected in that period of time. The following was brought from the employees’ households: old TVs, telephone sets, mobile phones, microwave ovens, electrical heating appliances, vacuum cleaners, irons, monitors, keyboards, printers, radios, video games, video recorders, discs, audio and video tapes and other types of hazardous waste.
The action in question is the one called »Action of Collecting Electronic and Electrical Waste from Households« and it was organized in cooperation with the authorized recycling centre »Božić and Sons« from Pančevo, a company Carnex has been cooperating with for years, i.e. the company which has been for years recycling waste generated in Carnex.
The total amount of hazardous waste was handed over with the previous announcement of hazardous waste movement to the Ministry of Environment, Mining and Spatial Planning and with the provision of the Document on hazardous waste movement.
You too should recycle used oil
Nowadays, one of the crucial ecological problems is the inadequate management of waste oil. To this day, people use waste oil for painting wooden surfaces in their yards since it increases the resistance of wooden materials to rain, snow, wind, sun and cold weather and, in that way, prolongs the life span of wooden fences, sheds, barns, garden furniture...Still, it is important to know that after a period of rain, waste oil from these surfaces washes down and penetrates into the ground thus polluting underground water which is the main water resource.
When one litre of waste oil gets into the environment, it pollutes 1,000,000 litres of water, the very amount 5,000 people use per day. And that is only one litre of waste oil!
Likewise, burning wooden surfaces oiled in such way or burning waste oil in inadequate conditions releases a significant amount of the carcinogen dioxin into the atmosphere.
Which are the steps that we can take? We must not use already used oil instead of paint and we should change oil in cars at the mechanic’s, not at home. Oil must not be thrown into the drainage system or septic tank. In that way, we will prevent the further pollution of drinking water.
In Carnex company, various work processes generate a significant amount of used oil, i.e. mixed waste oil characterised as hazardous waste by the government. Waste oil is generated in the process of changing oil – gear oil, compressor oil, lubricants - in motor vehicles and machines. The possible ways of managing such hazardous waste are recycling – producing lower quality oil by means of refinement and burning waste oil in incinerators or cement plants in a controlled environment. In accordance with the relative regulations and following the principles of the waste management hierarchy, a total of 15,560 kg of waste oil has been handed over to the authorised operator who holds the Integral licence for storing and treating waste oil, emulsions and oiled water (hazardous waste) and collecting hazardous waste on the territory of Serbia. The waste was also transported by an operator holding the Integral licence for collecting and transporting non-hazardous and hazardous waste on the territory of Serbia.
It is also important to mention that the overall amount of used oil was handed over in metal barrels, thus a number of waste metal barrels characterised as hazardous waste was disposed of. Waste oil was decanted from cisterns into metal barrels not long before the transportation of hazardous waste.
Carnex is building an effluent plant
Carnex company has finished the main project for the construction of the wastewater treatment plant which will be released in the central effluent plant for the treatment of Vrbas Municipality wastewaters. The public inspection of the Environmental Effect Study has been completed as well as the tender for choosing the firm which will conduct the construction works. Upon the realisation of the project, CARNEX will significantly contribute to the preservation of the Great Bačka Canal.
When it comes to Carnex's planned investments, this plant represents a priority. The value of designing the project as well as the construction of the plant amounts to over 2 million Euros. The Dutch company »Nijhuis Water Technology« has been engaged for the construction of equipment while the Belgrade-based consulting agency »IK Konsalting i Projektovanje« has been assigned with collecting all the necessary documentation for the realisation of this important project.
The construction of this project should begin this year while the deadlines for its completion will depend on the dynamics of conducting works. Construction companies from Serbia will be engaged for conducting the works in question.
Highly aware of the importance of investments made into environment protection, Carnex company continuously performs a variety of ecological activities as well as implements projects whose aim lies in promoting an ecologically clean and healthy way of life and conducting business operations. Thus, the company has embarked on the procedure of obtaining the integrated licence - Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control – IPPC necessary for conducting the company’s business operations. Obtaining the IPPC licence, for the company implies, the implementation of the best available techniques in the aim of integral environment protection and significant investments in the next few years.
Carnex realised a great and significant investment in the field of ecology in the past year as well. On the Vrbas pig farm, a separator unit which enables the separation of liquid slurry from solid manure was installed. Solid manure is subsequently used for enriching agricultural land. By separating slurry from manure, we get high quality natural fertilizer and water for the fertilization, i.e. irrigation of agricultural land. Development and experience have made this process and technology reliable, while the very separation leads to an incomparably higher quality of wastewater Carnex pays for releasing into a natural recipient. It is also important to point out that in this way savings are huge. Discussions with Danish companies are continuing on further measures and best practices used in their country to improve waste water quality.
