By David Vink
European plastics recycling jeopardised?
Changes will affect 600,000tpa of packaging waste in Europe

The European Parliament (EP) environment committee has said using carbon-rich (organic) waste fractions such as plastics as reducing agents in blast and melting furnaces can no longer be considered as a means of “recycling”.

Dr Ingo Sartorius responsible for plastics and environment at PlasticsEurope Deutschland raised these points at the organisation’s briefing in Frankfurt am Main on Tuesday (08.04.2008).

Referring to the 60,000tpa of packaging waste used in Germany just in the blast furnaces of Voest Alpine, Sartorius asked: “how then should the recycling quota for packaging now be fulfilled?”

He added that the restriction would also affect use in furnaces of electronic circuit boards in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, although this will involve much less material.

The relevant WFD revision 90 (EP-ENVI) proposal of 6 March stated, “recycling includes reprocessing of organic material, but does not include inter alia energy recovery, conversion to use as a fuel, processes involving combustion or use as a source of energy, including chemical energy, or backfilling operations”.

Data presented by Sartorius shows that there is more than 600,000tpa of waste in Europe for which alternative recovery or recycling means will now have to be found as a result of the EP committee decision for a narrower definition in the revised WFD.

This includes existing capacities of 140,000tpa of shredder light fraction (SLF) from used vehicles, with 180,000tpa capacity planned in Germany, France and The Netherlands. Some 400,000tpa in Austrian and German blast furnaces and 40,000tpa of gasification capacity in Spain, with further gasification plant plans in The Netherlands and Germany now also affected.

The only chance now to modify or reverse the EP committee decision lies in the hands of the national governments of the EU member states, Sartorius advised, as the EU Council is obliged to agree with the EP.

The EU’s Waste Framework Directive (WFD) was debated in the European Parliament (EP) environment committee earlier this week.