London (ICIS)-The European Commission has proposed new legislation on waste exports to overhaul current restrictions and introduce new digital reporting obligations and new audit duties for the transport of waste within and outside the EU.
Due to the continuing uncertainty regarding its legal definition, these changes may also restrict the import and export of waste for chemical recycling.
The Commission is proposing to establish an EU-wide system to exchange documents and information electronically, which will allow the authorities to better monitor waste streams.
Materials not included in the EU Green List and used for recycling operations require prior written consent and approval from the relevant authorities of the sending and receiving countries.
The materials on the green list include:
The proposal will use the definition of recycling specified in Directive 2008/98/EC, in which recycling is “any recycling operation that reprocesses waste into products, materials, or substances, whether for original or other purposes. It includes the recycling of organic materials. Processing, but does not include energy recovery and reprocessing into materials for fuel or backfill operations."
This makes the regulatory status of chemical recycling under the proposal uncertain.
In Europe, pyrolysis is the most common form of chemical recovery. Pyrolysis usually converts mixed plastic waste into pyrolysis oil, which is a substitute for naphtha.
Although there are several different potential sources of input waste, the commonly used ones are pyrolysis chemicals, 70% mixed polyolefins, 90% mixed polyolefins, or refuse derived fuel (RDF) waste packages (with a maximum PVC content of 0.5%), depending on It is based on the sorting facilities owned by chemical recyclers on-site.
A proposal under this legislation may restrict the delivery of mixed polyolefin waste to chemical recyclers within the EU.
The EU has previously stated that it will make a decision on the legal status of chemical recycling in 2021, which will depend on the cradle-to-grave LCA (life cycle analysis), although the possibility of an announcement this year is getting smaller and smaller.
Shipments of Green List waste in quantities exceeding 20 kg will need to be recorded:
According to the proposal, the transportation of waste for disposal in other member states will be widely restricted. The proposal also prohibits mixing waste streams during transportation.
The requirement to share information digitally will take effect 24 months after the legislation comes into effect, and some regulations on waste export will not take effect until three years after the legislation comes into force.
Recycling facilities can apply to their relevant judicial authorities for pre-approval of waste transportation, and the validity period is seven years.
Homepage photo: recycling bin in Krakow, Poland; file photo credit: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
ICIS is currently producing a prototype of the mixed plastic waste report, covering the waste package grades of mixed polyolefin, MRF waste, and PVC-free mixed plastic waste, as well as broader supply and demand trends in the chemical and mechanical recycling market. To learn more about the new report or to receive a copy of the prototype, please contact Mark Victory at mark.victory@icis.com
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