National Union for Representing the Interests of Small-scale Farmers (Kislépték) organized a workshop together with Herman Otto Institute (the successor of National Institute for Environment and the National Institute for Agricultural Consulting, Qualification and Rural development) on waste management related to local communities with the support of NEA-TF-16-SZ-0430 tender on April 28, 2016 in Budapest.
Hereby we publish our proposals how to amend waste and animal by-product regulations.
Our detailed proposal are available here in Hungarian.
I. Waste Management
1. Determine more precisely waste prevention, waste status
Hungarian Waste Management Act determines waste of such which holder discards, however this is a too broad definition, and not necessarily means that all “discarding” makes a material waste. We propose to make a more precise definition allowing preserving materials returning to local economy, open space for such civil organisation, who are working this part of public activities, such as food “waste” or used and thrown out clothes, furniture, etc.
2. Execution decrees have to be passed regulating prevention, such as deposit, reuse, rules of life-circle analyses
New Waste Act of Hungary was passed in 2012 including the undertaking of the Hungarian Government to pass revised execution decrees on preventions. The Metropolitan Public Domain Maintenance Company opened its reuse centre where Budapest citizens may bring their un-used properties for those who still would like to use them. It is stored for a while then offered to civil, charity organisations. This initiation should be used as a good practice which could be nation-wide spread with the participation of civil organisation,, provided specific laws would support so.
3. Re-determine reuse regulations from the differentiated small-scale prospectiveA more differentiated regulations has to be enacted for waste management, recovery and utilisation taking into account the small and medium-sized enterprises.
Definition of reuse should be altered allowing reuse, if the function of the material changes, since right now reuse also such operation when the material (product) is used for the same purpose of which is was conceived. We heard during the conference on a useful initiation, which converts new products from use jeans.
4. A differentiated end of waste rules, prevention rules should be passed on European level (as present regulations allow so) in relation to specific material/product groupsIt was proposed on the workshop that am unused material should not be regarded to be waste if it has either market, or used generally for its original purpose, or complies to technical standards, or does not harm to the environment. Such exemption would lighter its economic and administrative burden of the producer and user.
5. Waste management rules has to determine lighter rules for small-scale producers in a differentiated manner
II. Product Fee
6. We propose to exempt all artisan, handmade products used for packaging purposes, as artisan soap makers were already exempted.
III. Animal by-products
7. Adopting lighter rules for wool and animal hair treated on traditional way, even to accept traditional treatment as animal by-product treatmentProposal:A farmer in the territory of Hungary registered as handler, more particularly as seller, should be allowed to sell wool and animal hair originated from his controlled animal stock in marginal amount (100 kg per annum) after threated in pre-defined traditional way to private persons, civil organisation, churches, social or community enterprises.
IV. Food and cosmetics (soap)
8. Upon the workshop proposal we support that such product produced according to food regulations should be allowed to use for cosmetic purposes.
V. Food waste
9. We recognise the potential risk of slop, however, we propose to consider on marginal (and not on international) level the following possibilities:
to collect separately orts;
collect meat orts separately;
or not containing meat should be allowed using for animal feeding;
unserved food should be distributed for social purposes.