End-of-waste for paper and glass could come in 2011

Officials from the UK and other European Union member states are due to discuss proposals for the regulations at a technical adaptation committee meeting on July 1.This will represent a continuation of work on drawing up final end-of-waste criteria for both materials and the addition ofcopper scrap to the work programme is under consideration.

Commission sources have indicated that, based on those discussions, final proposals will be developed and then adopted in late 2011 or early 2012.

Work is also ongoing – although less advanced – on criteria for plastics and biodegradable waste/compost, with the Commission indicating it expects end-of-waste rules for these materials to be adopted in 2013.

The adoption of criteria for paper and glass could have a significant impact on the UK packaging recycling system, with the government already having acknowledged that end-of-waste criteria agreed in March 2011 for ferrous and aluminium scrap will change how PRNs are issued (see letsrecycle.com story).

This is because the criteria allow recovery the point at which PRNs are issued to be reached earlier in the packaging recycling supply chain, raising the potential for collectors to take the PRN issuing role currently taken by reprocessors. It could also lead to material to be taken out of the system by non PRN-accredited collectors (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, any end-of-waste rules for paper and glass are expected to be welcomed by those involved in exporting waste materials, because by meeting the criteria they will not have to endurewhat are often seen asunnecessarily burdensome regulations governing waste exports.

Technical reports

Technical reports on potential end-of-waste criteria for paper, copper and glass prepared by the European Commissions Joint Research Centre (JRC) have been finished, with those on paper and copper available from the European Commission.

These reports are expected to feed into end-of-waste criteria which will feature in working papers including proposals for regulations to be considered at next months Technical Adaptation Committee meeting.

Meanwhile, for plastics, it is understood that an initial stakeholder meeting is expected to take place on July 18, using preliminary work carried out by the JRC before two planned workshops, the first of which is provisionally scheduled to take place in Seville, Spain on October 27.

And, for compost, a technical working group met in Seville in early 2011 to discuss a first working document. This is expected to be discussed again at a second technical workshop for stakeholders on October 26, before a final report in spring 2012 paves the way for the Commission to begin its decision-making process.

Waste-derived fuels

The Commission is also considering whether or not to develop end-of-waste criteria for aggregates and waste-derived fuels. Its website notes that companies have been appointed to carry out research that will help it to decide whether to develop end-of-waste proposals for the two materials.

One, a study entitled, Study on methodological aspects regarding limit values for pollutants in aggregates, is being carried out by Denmarks DHI Consultancy, and the other, Study on the suitability of different waste-derived fuels for end-of-waste status, is being undertaken by Austrias Umweltbundesamt GmbH. Both are expected to produce results in early 2012.

End-of-waste criteria allow material to be freed-up from regulation such as that governing waste exports