SMART DESIGNS, SMART RECYCLING
n August 2010, the Environmental Services Association brought together a steering group, which included representatives from Defra, the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish governments, WRAP and Environment Agency, to discuss the need for code of practice in the mate- rials recycling industry. Last June, the ESA submitted a proposed draft to Defra, urging the department to make it mandatory. ESA has long called for a level playing field for operators and a clear frame- work in which local authorities can compare bids. Since then, the ESA has been working with UK govern- ments and businesses to explain why a mandatory code is so important and it is hoped a decision on its implementation will be made shortly. ESA’s code is underpinned by three principles – exports, quality management and supply chain efficiency.
I Preventing illegal exports is vital to create a level play-
ing field for ESA members who deliver high quality envi- ronmental services to residents and businesses. The code requires companies to provide due diligence on where they plan to send waste and to secure evidence that the waste is being recycled.
ESA’s members play an integral role in transforming waste into a resource. The code sets robust guidelines for measuring what comes in and what goes out and oversee- ing material quality, which is vital in improving market efficiency. MRFs are seeing a growing diversity in material types and this throws up huge technical challenges and com- plexities for both householders and industry. Supply chain dynamics are becoming more important – specialist equipment at one site may work very well for part of the waste stream, but sometimes greater efficiencies can be gained by processing some components at different sites. It can be challenging to know exactly where investments in systems, plant and equipment are most cost effective.
Clear information and trust
The answer lies in providing clear information and trust; implementing a system that ensures buyers and sellers know what they are buying and selling, with good and reli- able visibility on composition.
To meet the code’s standards, facilities must develop specifications for outputs with their counterparties to allow both parties to transact in materials with clarity and understanding. An independent auditor will verify that the facilities have met those specifications. The information and trust is there to reward those who make the additional investments to promote high quality recycling with higher prices for output, or lower costs for feedstock, depending on where they sit in the supply chain. This isn’t about stifling competition or innovation. Some companies are already leading the industry with advanced quality management systems and proprietary intellectual property. The code sets guidelines on what constitutes “robust” and looks to raise the bar across the industry, but facilities are free to develop their own bespoke systems, fit for purpose and for site. The ESA doesn’t want to dictate
20 Local Authority Waste & Recycling March 2012
Under the spotlight
business terms. The perfect waste management model is shaped by local phenomena. Sorting and treatment infra- structure differ across the country. Companies compete to produce the most effective equipment and to operate it. Reprocessing capabilities and tolerances vary across the globe. Different end markets require different materials. Technologies advance over time.
Markets work well to deliver efficient solutions. A MRF operator on a recent site visit was using a range of optical sorters to upgrade co-mingled glass, sending two thirds directly to re-melt. With more and more glass coming through other co-mingled collections at multiple sites, the MRF was considering removing the equipment and devel- oping a separate, specialist, glass sorting plant. The new facility, incorporating both the original and new equipment, would take co-mingled glass from all the company’s MRFs, thereby benefiting from greater economies of scale, greater specialism and delivering higher quality recycling. The supply chain is vital to producing high quality recy- cling. For this reason, the industry needs a system that allows markets to work efficiently. Micro managing one link in the chain does not do that, but a framework that rewards the right environmental outcomes and minimises the costs to waste producers does. The ESA is keen to hear from stake- holders and hopes the Government will make a decision on implementation soon.
David Sher is policy adviser at the ESA
A decision on the proposed code of practice for MRFs is expected soon. David Sher shines a light on the principles that underpin it
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