Recyclers come out in defence of exports

Paper and plastics recyclers have come out in defence of exports, following claims that jobs are being exported abroad and exporters are benefiting unfairly from the PRN/PERN system.

Earlier this week, shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh told the Labour Party Conference in Manchester that businesses are struggling to source materials in the UK because waste is being exported. She added that by exporting waste, jobs were also being exported (see letsrecycle.com story).

This today (October 3) prompted a response from the Recycling Association, which stressed that the export market is of critical importance to the UKs recycling infrastructure alongside an important domestic market.

Using recovered paper as an example, the Association said that in 2011 the UK generated eight million tonnes of recovered paper and only 3.8 million tonnes could be processed in the UK, leaving the UK no choice but to continue to be a net exporter. It added that over the last 20 years, over 50% of the UKs reprocessing mills have closed.

Dr Simon Ellin, chief executive of the Recycling Association, said: It is a gross over simplification to say that exporting waste is exporting jobs. Without overseas markets, the UK recycling infrastructure would be decimated. In fact I would go as far as to say that the vast majority of our members merchants, equipment suppliers, exporters and brokers would disappear over-night losing thousands of jobs in the process.

Dr Ellin went on to say that he is puzzled by how the green revolution is at the top of the political agenda and yet the industry is being told that the infrastructure it has to support recycling is a bad thing.

PRNs/PERNS

Meanwhile, the British Plastics Federations Recycling Group, which represents UK plastics recyclers, last month wrote to Defra junior minister Richard Benyon calling for reforms to the packaging waste recovery note (PRN) system, which it says unfairly favours exporters. This is because packaging recycling evidence can be issued for all packaging exported, whereas evidence can only be issued for packaging which is acutally recycled (excluding contamination) within the UK.

The Group also said that the high price of PRNs and PERNs made the system open to unscrupulous operators passing off unobligated packaging as obligated packaging and so in effect could become a ‘cheater’s charter’(see letsrecycle.com story).

Responding to this today (October 4), Choice Waste Management, a recovered plastic merchant based in Milton Keynes, highlighted the importance of exports to meeting the UK’s plastic packaging recycling targets.

Raj Iqbal, managing director of Choice Waste Management, who also represents exporters on the Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP) said: Exporters play a vital role in meeting the UK obligations, providing 69% of plastic evidence to UK producers. UK businesses have enjoyed the lowest packaging compliance cost of any EU member state for the last 14 years. This is a direct result of the government allowing a free market for packaging compliance with multiple schemes, numerous reprocessors and exporters.

Mr Iqbal continued: It was not called a cheaters charter when evidence price was lower than any other EU state! These exporters are reputable businesses and have been accredited by the Environment Agency for over 10 years. Accreditation is controlled and monitored by the Agency ensuring that it is qualified packaging waste only that evidence can be issued on.