INNOVATION | WEEE T
Right: Recycling of engineering plastics used in technical parts has the
potential to become the EU’s circular model that could be exported to non-EU markets, says Plastics Recyclers Europe
parts, PRE is calling for stronger collaboration and coordination between electronic appliance manufacturers, car manufactur- ers, sorting centres, waste management firms and recyclers. Its recommenda- tions to EU legislators are wide ranging, starting with an improved and increased collection system as well as additional sorting infrastructure. PRE said: “These measures should be complemented by enabling free WEEE material circulation across the Member States. A consistent and stable legislative framework is also a prerequisite to boost investors’ confidence. The EU measures should lead to harmonised and balanced rules which increase the legal certainty for the end-of-waste criteria. Additionally, legal require- ments should enable the appropriate management of substances of concern. EU wide certification for recycling facilities would ensure waste traceability and guarantee the highest standards to which a recycler must operate. The quality of the output material of a facility is key to its viability and success.” In the paper, PRE expresses confidence in technological developments. “In the near future, fully recyclable and recycled TPP in the automotive and E&E industries will potentially become the EU’s circular model that could be exported to non-EU markets,” it said. Chemical recycling will play a part in this development, in addition to mechanical recy- cling. However, the main challenge to achieving this
U
circular model is the need for engineer- ing plastics users to adapt business models and manufacturing processes, which in turn requires that trust in recycled plastics is built among all participants in the value chain. Several conditions need to be met for this approach to be successful, said PRE. The
starting point is improvement in waste management and increasing harmonisation. Targets must be set for collection and sorting operations for
engineering plastics, with standardised best practices for each product and polymer type. Secondly, standardisation should extend
throughout the value chain, allowing for the production of certified recycled products. This would lead to increased traceability and transpar- ency of plastic waste management, it said. The third condition is limiting waste exports from the EU and promoting the movement of WEEE and ELV waste within the EU Single Market between certified companies. “Retaining resources and processing them in accordance with high standards ensures that the recycled materials, which are fed back to the European market, are of high quality and that they conform with a strict legislation,” said PRE. The PRE strategy paper discusses the current challenges facing the WEEE and ELV plastics recycling sectors in Europe. Unsatisfactory levels of separate collection and sorting is one of the biggest obstacles. Greater co-ordination is needed
Regulatory debate continues in BFRs
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs), found in many E&E plastic compo- nents, continue to be the subject of regulatory pressure. Deca-BDE has restrictions from a variety of interna- tional regulations: the EU’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances and WEEE Directive, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the Basel Convention on hazardous waste shipments, and it has been under scrutiny within the EU’s Reach framework. In February, a decision was reached
by representatives of the European Parliament, Council and Commission to set a new limit for Deca-BDE under
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the regulation of POPs. It was agreed to include Deca-BDE in the substance list and to set the level of unintended trace impurities at 10 mg/kg for DecaBDE contained in substances. The unintended trace contaminant value for the sum of all brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs), including Deca-BDE, was set at 500 mg/kg when contained in mixtures and articles (finished products). The 500 mg/kg limit is half the previous level, and although it was not set as low as some WEEE recyclers had feared, it could still cause problems for companies. Chris Slijkhuis, head of public affairs at MGG Polymers and a
PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | March/April 2019
representative of the European E-Waste Recyclers Association, said that at a meeting in March of Coreper (a European Council meeting which is composed of each country’s deputy permanent representatives), it was decided that the evidence for the decision to make 500 mg/kg the Low POP Content threshold in waste materials was insufficient and that a Low POP Content of 1,000 mg/kg limit is required. This is also more in line with the proposals on the table for the Basel Convention guidance document, in which 50 and 1,000 ppm are the only two proposed LPC values, he said.
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
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