EMR and Sims may shut down shredders and ban vehicles

As a result of an EMR ban alone, 4,000 vehicles a day would have to be stockpiled and crisis talks are to get underway tomorrow between the parties concerned.

The decision to stop taking vehicles would result from the end of co-disposal which means that from July 16 hazardous waste can only sent to hazardous waste landfills. As an extension of this, landfill operators are not allowed to accept materials into non-hazardous cells unless they have been tested under proper procedures to certify that they are not hazardous. Tests are difficult to carry out on shredder residue because of the variety of components and are incomplete. And, there are some reports that tests of shredder residue even from depolluted vehicles has found the material to have some hazardous components.

Residues

Accordingly most landfill operators are expected to ban the material which can contain oily residues which are hazardous.

The metals recycling sector through its trade association the British Metals Recycing Association hopes to hear on Friday (July 16) whether or not the Environment Agency will make any concessions over shredder residue.

EMR has emerged as the first company to announce the idea of a ban and because of its size thousands of vehicles could end up being stockpiled or abandoned every day if its ban remains in place.

The Environment Agency told letsrecycle.com that the ban would be “self-imposed” by EMR and that shredders had to demonstrate whether the automotive shredder residue was not hazardous. A spokeswoman added: “We are looking to resolve the issue with the shredders and the landfill industry as quickly as possible. There is guidance available from the agency and we have offered help in the past.”

Tests

One waste industry expert told letsrecycle.com that the shredder industry had failed to sufficiently carry out tests of residues. “Quite rightly the waste industry is requiring the results of tests which the metals sector should have carried out. “He added that the metals industry could find it hard to get sufficient laboratory space for testing at this “late stage”.

Neil Marshall, director general of the BMRA, said: that landfill operators were confused about status of the residue. “We only have one test for the residue and that's designed to test soil samples. The companies currently use the material as landfill top cover. If we lose out the landfills lose out.”

Mr Marshall added: “By Monday the entire metals recycling market could have closed down. We process 45,000 cars a week and we cannot store many because of their size.”

And, Mr Marshall questioned the status of the residue.” The ELV Directive states that de-polluted cars are not hazardous. Therefore residue cannot be hazardous. We need a decision from government on which Directive takes preference.”

Spin

Dirk Hazell, chief executive of the Environmental Services Association, which represents the landfill sector said: “As of this afternoon the Environment Agency has had no contact whatsoever with us on this subject. This has been a week of unprecedented spin over hazardous waste and this will not be the last episode of disorderly transition.”

“Landfill operators at non-hazardous sites,” said Mr Hazell, “have to turn the shredder residue away unless the producers can demonstrate through an accredited test that it is not hazardous. ESA members are acting in an environmentally responsible and lawful way.”

The full text of the EMR announcement, which will come into play if no satisfactory agreement is reached with the Environment Agency tomorrow, is as follows:

“Unfortunately EMR will have to stop receiving End of Life Vehicles at all its sites with effect from close of business 16/07/04. This is due to the fact that the Landfill Directive requires under its Duty of Care section that all shredder residue loads require notification that it is non-hazardous. In other words every single load of Fragmentiser Residue could require testing and if proved hazardous could cost millions of pounds to rectify. The events leading to this are:
Landfill Directive starts 16/07/04
Sites licensed to accept Hazardous Waste have capacity of 350,000 tonnes per annum.
Our industry currently landfills approx 850,000 tonnes per annum.
BMRA have been working with the Environment Agency and Defra for some months and were assured that the industry could continue to landfill our shredder residue as non-hazardous. The landfill operators now require positive indication that fragmentiser residue is non-hazardous.
This is impossible due to inappropriate testing/sampling regimes for shredder residue.
Therefore EMR will not be able to accept any form of End of Life Vehicles (complete/whole/unpolluted/de-polluted/pressed/sheared/flattened/whatevercars/vehicles). With effect from close of business July 16 2004.
We will also not be operating our shredders as we do not have safe disposal routes for our shredder residue.
We will review on a daily basis and we will keep all our customers and suppliers advised as to whether or not we are able to re-commence taking ELVs.”