As detoxification technologies continue to advance, society cannot afford to lose potentially valuable raw materials. Secure landfills therefore serve as material banks, safeguarding these resources for future innovation. This is particularly critical for waste contaminated with highly persistent and toxic chemical compounds, such as PFAS, for which largescale, effective detoxification solutions are not yet available.
– To detoxify society in the long-term, we must stop the inflow of harmful substances by banning all non-essential uses of toxic chemicals such as for example PFAS. At the same time, secure landfills are important to be able to manage materials that are already contaminated, says Cecilia.
The ability to effectively detoxify society is hampered by the so-called waste hierarchy that underpins EU legislation and policy. According to the waste hierarchy, the focus should be on reducing waste and sending it to landfill only as a last resort.
Image: A landfill being safely capped at Ragn-Sells' Högbytorp facility.
However, a waste management approach based on minimisation, rather than recycling, risks leading to the loss of valuable raw materials and the spread of harmful substances.
– In a circular society, minimising waste is not the goal, as waste is the primary source of raw materials. Instead, the overall aim should be to reduce the unsustainable extraction of virgin resources by reusing the materials we already have, many times over, says Cecilia Ekvall.
This article was originally published in Ragn-Sells Group Sustainability Report 2024.
