Scottish MRF Code to apply from April

This comes after the Waste (Recyclate Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 2015 which were laid in Parliament last week.

The requirement to measure the quality of input and output material at MRFs is similar to that for facilities in England and Wales which have been in effect since October 2014. MRFs in Scotland will be required to begin reporting details of input and output quality from October 2015.

A ‘Code of Practice on Sampling and Reporting at Materials Recovery Facilities’ was also published by the Scottish Government last week, in which it outline the legal requirements for MRF operators.

In its guidance, the Scottish Government states: “The “Code of Practice on Sampling and Reporting at Materials Recovery Facilities” requires the operators of material recovery facilities to weigh and sample materials received at the facility and leaving the facility, and identify the composition of the samples with regard to the type of material contained within.

“The Code sets out an approach to sampling, including weight, frequency, reporting periods, measurement and materials to be sampled, and the information to be recorded and reported to SEPA.”

Reporting

MRF operators are also required to record and report information on the end destination of material to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

The guidance adds: “It is hoped that clarity and certainty around the quality of recycled materials placed on the market will help create the confidence needed to invest in the expansion of Scotland’s reprocessing sector, a sector that will become increasingly important as the drive toward a more efficient use of resources and more sustainable product use and design continues.”

Download Scotland’s Code of Practice on Sampling and Reporting at Materials Recovery Facilities.

As is the case in England and Wales, the requirement to monitor material quality applies to operators of facilities handling 1,000 tonnes or more of mixed dry recyclable waste each year. Waste transfer sites do not fall within the scope of the Code.

Facility operators will be required to report the results of their material sampling tests to SEPA every three months.

Prior to October 2016, one sample must be taken for every 160 tonnes of mixed dry recyclable waste or separately collected dry recyclable waste received at the MRF from each supplier. This will change to every 125 tonnes after October 1 2016.

The guidance also states that the average weight per sample must be 60 kilograms or more. A sample may be collected in several parts, contemporaneously, none of which may weigh less than 20 kg.

For output materials, operators must measure and report the composition including target and non target material.

[Amended 11/03/2015 08:55 to emphasise that first reporting period for MRF operators is October 2015].