A voluntary charter which could see councils providing residents with information about the exact reprocessing plants their recyclables are sent to could be detrimental to the export market, according to the Recycling Association.
In addition the Recycling Association and the Environmental Services Association (ESA) today (June 8) questioned whether householders needed the full level of information which could be provided under the End Destination of Recycling Charter.
The Charter was launched by the Resource Association, the trade body for the reprocessing sector, yesterday (June 7) in a bid to provide the public with clearer information about where their recycling ends up (see letsrecycle.com story). It is a voluntary initiative for local authorities in England and Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the effect the charter could have Dr Simon Ellin, chief executive of the Recycling Association, told letsrecycle.com: It [the charter] protects the interests of the UK mills at the detriment of the export market which has underpinned our industry for decades.
Commenting on the importance of the export market Dr Ellin said: We fully support the UK market, and have been major suppliers of many UK mills for decades, but we also realise the critical importance of the export market. The UK recycling industry has grown on the back of the export market, and, in relation to the recovered paper market, the UK is still a net exporter. I am uncomfortable that there appears to be what could almost be construed as an anti-export movement on the back of personal vested interests. I shudder to think where the UK recycling industry would be without the export market in the past couple of months for example, when many UK mills have been heavily stocked and have not been buying.
He questioned: Do the general public really want to know which specific UK, Chinese, Indian or Indonesian mills their cardboard or newspapers may end up at?
Regulations
Dr Ellin also commented that the Charter would add to the red tape that already surrounds the export market.
I think we are all so wrapped up in red tape anyway that when we come to export material the amount of regulations and paperwork that we need to undertake before we can even think about getting the material out of the country is huge. With it all being regulated, I just dont get the logic of why we need to tell the public that this material is going to this particular mill in China. What does that really mean to the householder?
He added that the Recycling Association considered that is important that local authorities do engage with their contractors to ensure material is being processed in the correct manner and provide feedback to the householders.
ESA
While the Charter was generally welcomed by the Environmental Services Association (ESA), which represents waste management companies, it said that local authorities must decide the level of information provided to householders to reassure them that their material is being recycled.
David Sher, policy advisor for materials and energy recovery at ESA, told letsrecycle.com: I suppose what we think the public want to know, however we are open to see research on this, is that their material is being recycled and the actions they are taking have a positive environmental impact. And so within the bounds of commercial confidentiality any information that they can be given that reinforces their awareness of the material that they are putting out for recycling is a good thing. Do they need to know the particular mill to know that the material is being recycled through, I dont know.
Mr Sher explained that as long as residents could be reassured that their recyclables were being processed correctly knowing which mill it was sent to was not important.
Mr Sher added: What kind of information and support can local authorities give their residents to give them confidence that their material is having a positive environmental impact? Im not sure whether that comes down to the particular mill; it comes down to them knowing that the material is recycled. It is up for the local authorities to determine what information their residents need to know so they can be confident that the choices they are making are having a good impact.
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