England exported just 1.63 million tonnes to the rest of the world between January and June 2021, considerably lower than the 2.17 million tonnes in the same period last year. This was already a decline from the 2.96 million tonnes exported in the year to June 2019.
Several of the countries usually considered the most popular export destinations saw significant reductions in the tonnages they received.
The Netherlands received just 508,000 tonnes, 35% less than it did in the same period in the year before, while Denmark, Sweden and Germany received 65%, 53% and 2% less respectively.
In total, England exported 1.35 million tonnes of RDF and 282,000 tonnes of solid recovered fuel (SRF), 26% and 18% less than the country did in the 12 months to the end of June 2020.
The data suggests the continuation of the steady decline in RDF exports from England, attributed to myriad factors including the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on commercial waste services, as well as the introduction of taxes in the Netherlands and Sweden.
The only country to receive more of the England’s RDF was Norway, which at 141,000 tonnes received nearly 7% more than it had in the previous year.
Exporters
Footprint Services’ data shows that the company to export the most RDF from England was again Geminor UK Ltd, at 237,000 tonnes. However, this was a decline of 20% from its exports in the year to June 2020.
The companies which exported the next most actually increased the volumes they sent abroad from the previous year. Probio Energy International Ltd exported 185,000 tonnes, 18% more, and Andusia Recovered Fuels Ltd 166,000 tonnes, up by 17%.
In June, Andusia said it believed waste volumes had reached a “stable level” after a huge decline in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, adding it did not expect them to decline again (see letsrecycle.com story).
Andusia and Probio were among very few to increase the tonnages they sent abroad. Major exporters Suez UK Ltd, N&P Alternative Fuels Ltd, Bertling Enviro, Biffa Waste Services Limited and Seneca Environmental Solutions Ltd all saw their tonnages drop, contributing to the overall decline.
Market share
In June, Footprint Services reported that rolling figures to April 2021 showed Sweden had overtaken the Netherlands as the most popular destination for England’s exports of RDF for the first time (see letsrecycle.com story).
Andrew Gadd, Footprint Services’s manager, told letsrecycle.com at the time that the figures represented the “implosion” of the Dutch market rather than a Swedish success story.
The most recent data shows the trend continuing, with Sweden commanding a 33% share of the market while the Netherlands received 31%.
Germany and Norway each received 9% of England’s exports of RDF, while Denmark received 2%.
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