Agency ruling over recovery definition of IBA glass

The Agency has told industry that glass from IBA can no longer be used to generate glass PRNs – the evidence of producer responsibility being carried out for glass packaging waste.

” In our view, this is an incidental 'recovery' process for bottom ash that happens to have glass packaging waste in it. “
– Jeff Cooper, Environment Agency
The handful of reprocessors that currently recycle IBA glass into aggregates and road-building materials will be allowed to continue issuing glass PRNs against such material for the remainder of this year.

But from 2007, their accreditations to issue the PRNs will be terminated.

Definition
Speaking to letsrecycle.com, the Environment Agency's Jeff Cooper explained that the decision had been taken because Britain was “out of kilter” with the rest of Europe in defining glass from IBA ash as a product of “recycling” rather than “recovery”.

Therefore, issuing a glass “recycling” PRN on glass from a “recovery” process should not be allowed, he said.

“It's about what is a proper 'recycling' process,” Mr Cooper said. “In our view, this is an incidental 'recovery' process for bottom ash that happens to have glass packaging waste in it.”

“insignificant”
Although Mr Cooper said as much as a quarter of incinerator bottom ash could constitute glass packaging waste, he said the number of reprocessors now using it to generate PRNs was “insignificant”.

“There's not much of this material being PRN-ed, if you like,” he said. “It's about 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes compared to the million tonnes of glass recycling that is needed each year.”

Appeal
Last September saw incinerator firm Onyx Hanson and its partner Ballast Phoenix lodging an appeal when the Agency turned down an attempt at gaining PRN accreditation for an operation recovering IBA glass. The appeal is still in the hands of Defra, Mr Cooper said, but pointed out that with this new ruling on the definition of glass IBA as a product of “recovery”, the Onyx Hanson case had been rendered irrelevant.

Onyx Hanson's request for accreditation and subsequent appeal was contesting whether the company recovering and sorting IBA glass for use by another company was the “reprocessor” able to issue PRNs. The Agency at the time had said it was only an intermediate “processor” and that only the end users could issue PRNs.

Mr Cooper said the issue of who issued the PRNs was now no longer important since no one will issue such PRNs from 2007. “That appeal is still with Defra, but it might make no difference now,” he said.

He added that despite its decision, the Environment Agency was still keen to see glass recovered from IBA used in producing new products.

“In appropriate circumstances we would be happy for it to be re-utilised – we are keen that that should happen. But there isn't a quality protocol for this application – unlike other aggregates – so it will always be regarded as a waste until such time it has been used.”

“Useful”
Packaging waste compliance schemes welcomed the “useful” clarification from the Agency, but called on the Agency to publish a formal ruling on the issue.

Valpak contracts director Brian Wood said: “We don't fully understand the Agency's position as we haven't seen any detailed ruling. But, this is going to make it more difficult for the UK as a whole to comply with the recycling targets for glass.”

Some have suggested that while the ruling may only affect 30,000 tonnes worth of glass PRNs, had Onyx Hanson been granted PRN accreditation the amount of glass PRNs generated from IBA could have been as much as 150,000 tonnes.

Compliance schemes have raised the question, however, that glass packaging waste within IBA apparently counts for issuing recovery PRNs – when glass is non-combustible, and does not generate energy through incineration.

Edward Cooke, compliance manager at Compliance Link, said: “The Agencies are wrong in this decision because they are allowing non-combustible packaging to be used for recovery PRNs – counter to article 3 (viii) of the Packaging Directive. Glass in IBA is a perfectly acceptable recycling activity as per article 3 (vii) of the Directive.”