EPR for plastic waste streams

Transcription

1 EPR for plastic waste streams Public Hearing European Strategy on Plastic Waste July 15, 2013 Brussels, Belgium Joachim Quoden, Managing Director, EXPRA

2 About EXPRA Established in 2013 The umbrella organisation for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis Currently 17 members in 16 European countries plus Israel Working in close partnership with obliged companies and their associations Our members: Provide over 200 million people with packaging collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure Ensure recycling and recovery of over 15 million tons of packaging every year Have up to 20 years of experience and expertise in the waste management field 2

3 Our Members Fost Plus - Belgium Eco Embes - Spain CONAI - Italy Nedvang Netherlands EKO KOM Czech Republic Valorlux Luxembourg Eco Rom Romania Eco Pack Bulgaria Envipak Slovakia Greenpak Malta Green Dot Cyprus CEVKO Turkey Green Dot Norway TMIR Israel PAKOMAK Macedonia Öko Pannon Hungary Herrco - Greece 3

4 EXPRA s mission To promote Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging waste in Europe, with a particular focus on household packaging waste To enable its Members to offer the best possible service for the lowest sustainable costs to their client companies 4

5 Our believes -1- EPR organisations should be run by obliged companies and not be outsourced to waste management companies or investors EPR organisations should have control about the use of the collected fees and have a strong influence on the design of the infrastructure Every stakeholder should play its role; especially the government in making feasable legislation and caring for an effective enforcement Packaging optimisation, design-for-recycling, education of inhabitants and companies, communication to the public are essential parts of a successful EPR system 5

6 Our believes -2- Transparency of operations is key: Business plan and annual reporting; enganged supervisory board active communication towards all stakeholders Fair calculation rules for fees for all materials covered leading to same fees for all participating companies Strong focus on separate collection and out of home consumption Continous work to improve the system performance by (external) benchmarking, defining and then increasing quality standards for collection, sorting and recycling 6

7 The Green Paper on Plastic Waste EXPRA welcomes the Green Paper Strong focus on the end-of-life of plastics without taking the benefits of plastics in its use phase into account Hearings (like today) and workshops on this topic provide further useful expertise 7

8 Four ways to improve (plastic) recycling and recovery 1. Ensuring accurate statistics to ensure reliable comparability of Member States performances 2. Working towards full implementation of the current waste acquis by Member States 3. Identifying and sharing best practices 4. Identifying loopholes and shortcomings in the current legislation and take action to address them 8

9 Ways to improve (plastic) waste management Ensure that a functioning and convinient waste collection infrastructure is in place for waste arising at household and out-of-home Increase public awareness about purchased products, their use and their waste management, especially collection and sorting, through: Educational campaigns in kindergardens and schools Nationwide and local communication campaigns Promote voluntary agreements with stakeholders (e.g. Eco bag agreement in Luxembourg) Safe transport of waste 9

10 Ways to improve (plastic) waste management Landfills fully under control and no leaking Treatment options for those waste that cannot be recycled / composted in an adequate capacity Enforcement of legislation to punish those breaking the law and discourage followers Mix of different tools seems to support the above topics deliver the best results (landfill taxes/ban; EPR, PAYT, Green Procurement) Support neighbouring contries to combat marine litter 10

11 The importance of EPR in waste management EPR for packaging has contributed to: Boosting collection and recycling in many European countries Decoupling the growth of packaging in relation to GDP in most EU Member States Enhancing cooperation between packaging designers and recyclers 11

12 Should we introduce higher targets for plastics recycling? The analysis of the existing performance is key Important to identify best practices of top performers and also evaluate the reasons for Member States lagging behind We need to identify ways to improve performance, weigh and discuss the costs and benefits of such efforts Based on the above, we should propose, discuss and agree on new targets with a long term perspective 12

13 How can I help? Joachim Quoden Managing Director EXPRA aisbl 2 Avenue des Olympiades 1140 Brussels Evere Belgium Joachim.quoden@expra.eu

14 PARTNERSHIP IS A KEY TO SUCCESS