Waste plan gets a boost

Jens Napãtôk’, Naleraq, who is both 1st Deputy Mayor of Avannaata Municipality and a member of Inatsisartut, has proposed at the municipal council meeting at the end of March that a targeted effort be launched as soon as possible to improve the implementation of the municipality's waste plan, which applies in the period from 2023 to 2035.

Avannaata Municipality is the only one among the five municipalities not to be part of the joint municipal waste company ESANI A/S.

According to the proposer, the proposal is based on a number of challenges in waste management in towns and settlements in the municipality, which include, among other things, machine breakdowns, lack of spare parts, inappropriate packaging and storage of waste and insufficient transport capacity. The municipal council approves that the improvement opportunities will be implemented in the waste plan, and it has been decided to hold a seminar on waste management during the year.

Challenges in Avannaata Municipality

ESANI director Frank Rasmussen has previously told Sermitsiaq that Avannaata Municipality has major challenges with regard to safe waste management due to the fact that the municipality is not part of the waste company. He would therefore like to see the municipality rejoin the community. However, Avannaata Municipality has entered into an agreement with ESANI that waste in towns and settlements will be collected by the company's bulk ship when needed.

The waste plan in Avannaata Municipality has, among other things, focused on shipping waste, establishing facilities, upgrading plants and purchasing machinery. Jens Napãtôk’ emphasizes that there is a need for a faster handling of the acute operational problems.

Solutions

Jens Napãtôk’ finds it necessary for Avannaata Municipality to ensure that spare parts are ready for machines and other equipment used for waste management.

- Packing waste stops all the time and the municipality must find solutions for more efficient waste management. Solutions must also be found, such as storage facilities in larger and smaller settlements as soon as possible.

- Better transport options must be established in our elongated municipality, and we must have an approved incineration plant in Ilulissat. It should also be ensured that the towns of Qaanaaq, Upernavik and Uummannaq get incineration plants that are appropriate for the conditions in the area, he says.

Avannaata Municipality also announces that they are already working on several of the aforementioned issues in connection with the implementation of the municipality's Waste Plan.

Following the framework

Avannaata Municipality assesses that the economic overview of the waste plan should be revised in line with the experience gained during implementation. At the same time, it is stated that the overall principles of the waste plan are still considered appropriate and are within the national framework for waste management.

- The principle of the plan is that waste in smaller settlements is packed in big bags and stored until it can be collected, while waste in larger settlements is shredded and packed before shipping to approved incineration plants. Implementation requires the construction of infrastructure, including better work facilities and in some cases improved roads and port conditions.

- The administration has prioritized the most critical areas and is working closely with the smaller settlements on concrete solutions. Experience shows that local commitment is of great importance for the results, including the successful shipping of scrap iron from Saqqaq, says Avannaata Municipality.

The municipality has employed an operations coordinator, who trains employees in handling hazardous waste and operating and maintaining machinery and vehicles.

Reception station in Upernavik

Avannaata Kommunia plans to establish a new reception station for waste on the island of Saffiorfik in Upernavik. This involves establishing a dam with a road to Saffiorfik and a quay for ship arrivals.

The aim is that waste will no longer be burned locally in future, but instead packed and shipped for treatment elsewhere. At the same time, the current dump in Upernavik will be removed. The proposal is in public consultation until May 22.

Incineration plants in Canada

The Technical Committee of the Municipal Council and the Mayor's Secretariat participated in the holding of the Arctic Winter Games in Canada, and in this connection, the delegation inspected the incineration plants used in Canada.

It was found that incineration plants from EcoWaste, a Canadian company that, among other things, focuses on sustainable waste management, are widely used in smaller settlements and towns in Canada and Alaska.

The Municipal Council was informed that the plants are considered to be suitable for smaller and more remote settlements and that they are relatively simple to operate.

The delegation agreed that it should be tested whether such incineration plants can be used in Greenland. The Technical Committee therefore recommends that a dialogue meeting be held on waste management. The goal is to invite a representative from Eco Waste to provide information about the incineration plants.

Waste management in Greenland is regulated by the National Waste Action Plan, which, among other things, requires that waste incineration plants must meet emission requirements in accordance with the EU Incineration Directive. The purpose is to minimize the release of substances harmful to health into the environment. At the national level, work is therefore being done on a common waste solution, where combustible waste is increasingly collected and incinerated at approved plants, including in Sisimiut.

Due to the strict requirements for incineration plants, Frank Rasmussen believes that it will be difficult to obtain permission to rebuild current and old incineration plants.