Off the wire
• Chinese companies agree to build better connected intelligent grid in Ethiopia  • British FTSE 100 rises 0.49 pct on Tuesday  • OSCE assists Albania in destroying hazardous military chemicals  • Study shows sexual desires of British old people neglected  • Georgia, U.S. sign framework agreement on security cooperation  • Roundup: Ugandan rebel commander goes on trial at ICC over war crimes  • Ethiopia to launch e-ticketing services for public transit buses  • Paris CAC 40 index gains 1.26 pct  • Commentary: Abe's planned Pearl Harbor visit is by no means admission of Japan's war responsibility  • NATO FMs agree on proposals to deepen NATO-EU cooperation  
You are here: 　 Home

Hazardous waste still on rise in Norway: statistics bureau

Xinhua, December 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

The amount of hazardous waste sent to approved treatment is relatively high compared to the growth in Norway's economy and population in general over the past years, the country's statistics bureau said on Tuesday.

A total of 1.41 million tonnes of hazardous waste were sent for approved treatment in 2015 in Norway, an increase of around 75 percent compared to 2003, Statistics Norway said in a report.

In comparison, gross domestic product (GDP) and the population has only increased by 21 and 14 percent respectively in the same time period, it said.

Around 31 percent of the approved waste treatment was recovered in 2015, by either recycled (14 percent) or energy recovered (17 percent). The remaining 69 percent was disposed of, according to the report.

In 2015, oil-containing waste was the dominant group of hazardous waste, with around 510,000 tonnes sent to approved treatment. The next biggest group was heavy metal-containing waste, constituting around 470,000 tonnes.

Oil-containing waste mostly encompasses waste from oil drilling activities on the Norwegian shelf, while heavy metal-containing waste consists of metal hydroxyl sludge, slag, dust and ashes from the manufacturing industry and others.

Hazardous waste exports are included in the 1.41 million tonnes to approved treatment, but imported amounts are not. Thus, the figures on approved treatment comprise only hazardous waste generated in Norway, the report said. Endit