01/03/06 Waste Disposal, Not Profiteering!
Animal Friends supports the application of Statutes on packaging and packaging waste and announce the report of firms which will not obey it
The Animal Friends organization condemns the opposition of the Croatian Employer Association (HUP) to the application of the Statutes which obliges manufacturers to dispose packaging waste produced by them.
HUP does not support the Statutes on packaging and packaging waste, as for the first time the manufacturer, importer and trader have the legal obligation of packaging waste disposal, that is, the same whom this waste is produced by. Such attitude of HUP is scandalous and in fact means the blackmail of Croatian consumers and Croatian Government, because the manufacturers of packaging itself have to take the responsibility for waste collection and paying for the waste disposal and its recycling.
Animal Friends supports and joins in the previous announced reaction of the society Life, in which is given the full support to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning and Construction, in the way that it should start the strict application of restrictive and penal measures in conformity with the Law on Waste and Criminal Code of the Republic of Croatia since January 2, 2006.
The reasons for the support quoted in the reaction of the society Life:
- broken glass is equally dangerous for animals as for people, particularly for barefoot and those who cannot afford to buy footwear. The animals in the nature are not able to address the vet when a piece of glass sticks into their leg, and have to suffer pain;
- even intact, unbroken and plastic bottles could be a lethal weapon for mice and moles, who could enter the bottle in their search for food and be caught in a snare from which they cannot be rescued;
- hedgehogs, foxes, cats, among other animals, can become wedged in empty cans in their search for food. Cans are doubly dangerous if their lid is half-open;
- plastic bottle rings can cause a horrible harm to the animals. Animals could be hooked up in these rings or starve, because their neck was trapped in the ring. The necks of wild geese and mallards can become caught during diving and search for food.
It is estimated that plastic bottle rings floating on the water have a 450-year breakdown period. All kinds of plastic waste are particularly dangerous for animals.
Birds and fish as well as mammals that live in the sea can die due to floating waste, and a piece of waste can block or destroy their digestive tract. Plastic pieces can stay in stomachs, cut up the interior of intestines or completely block the intestines. These animals die slowly and very painfully.
Plastic waste is dangerous also on land. Animals can eat a plastic bag, seeking food remains in the bag and die from it. Animals can also stay trapped inside plastic packagings and die slowly in pains.
Plastic packaging disposed of in a landfil can be swept off by rain in an undesired direction and pollute the water. Moreover, the most usual content of wild waste dumps in the woods and outside of settlements is just packaging waste, which accounts as physical, hygienic and sanitary danger for animals.
Animal Friends joins with civic associations throughout Croatia and, together with them, addresses the application of these Statutes.