Dutch authorities have rejected nearly 60 containers holding mixed materials such as cardboard, glass, plastic, paper and metals, thought to be en route to India. Most of the shipments have now been returned to Ireland from the Netherlands, mainly from Rotterdam, or arrangements are currently being made to do so.
In Antwerp, Belgium, a further 40 to 80 containers of mixed materials are being held because they do not have the necessary notifications in place. The co-mingled materials were being shipped to the continent for segregation and recycling.
Under European Regulations regarding the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste, the transport of many segregated recyclable materials, such as waste paper and glass cullet, within the European Union is classified as 'green list' procedure and requires no prior notification.
However, when two or more 'green list' materials are mixed together a shipment becomes 'a;mber' or 'red list', and requires an agreement by the relevant authorities on both ends of the shipment. So, because they did not correctly notify the Irish and Dutch or Belgian authorities, the waste companies' shipments were deemed illegal by the respective authorities. Upon inspection the receiving authorities declared the shipments to be unlawful and refused the waste entry to their countries.
Prosecution
In Ireland, local councils are the competent authorities for the export of waste and should have received the relevant paperwork before the shipments were made. It is now the local councils and the receiving authorities in the Netherlands and Belgium who could pursue prosecutions against the waste companies for the alleged offences.
In a statement, the Irish Environment Protection Agency (EPA) said: “It is of the utmost importance that the regulations governing the movement of waste within Ireland and the transfrontier shipment of waste from Ireland are strictly adhered to. The EPA has written to all local authorities reminding them of their obligations as competent authorities for the export of waste from Ireland.”
The waste companies who have had their waste returned include Limerick Waste Recycling, Barna Waste Disposal and Recycling, Hannay Waste and Country Clean. There were also some brokers involved in the shipments and they include Railuck Environmental Solutions of the UK, Taragh Traders of Dublin and CVB Ecologistics from the Netherlands.
UK situation
Meanwhile in the UK, the Environment Agency is continuing its clamp down on illegal waste shipments, including mixed recyclables.
Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Agency technical manager for hazardous waste, Tony Gubby admitted that despite new guidelines published by the Agency last year (see letsrecycle.com story), companies are still exporting 'red' and 'a;mber' list wastes without the relevant notifications. “There is no doubt that producers of this sort of waste are looking for outlets abroad,” he said.
Mr Gubby could not reveal any specific details about current investigations but added that the Agency is prepared to prosecute companies it finds breaking the Waste Shipment Regulations. “Clearly there are things going on out there,” he said, “The Agency will be looking to undertake enforcement where possible.”
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