There are two main families of chemical and toxic waste: industrial waste and everyday waste.
Today, we will focus on the latter, often neglected and considered harmless, whereas they actually represent
a significant danger.
Let's take batteries, for example. Each year, 200,000 tonnes of batteries are put on the
market, but only 45% are properly collected and recycled. This means that more than half of
these batteries potentially end up in landfills or, worse, in nature, where they can release harmful
substances.
Similarly, each year in Europe, 2.4 million tonnes of paint become toxic waste. They can
contain solvents and heavy metals that pollute water and soil, thereby affecting ecosystems and the food
chain.
With 95.5 million tonnes of hazardous waste produced each year, the countries of the European
Union have to manage an enormous amount of toxic substances. Treatment plants, intended to
treat wastewater, are not exempt from this problem. More than 1,000 of them contain
traces of persistent chemicals, which are difficult to eliminate and can contaminate drinking
water sources.
Moreover, around 30% of the chemicals found in European households are
classified as dangerous for the environment.
Although these figures are alarming, solutions do exist.
For more information,
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