Nanomaterials in waste streams Piotr Barczak Policy Officer on Waste TWITTER: @Pbarczak; @Green_Europe; @Resourcescount Co-funded by Villum Fonden, the European Union and EFTA
What is the EEB? EEB: the environmental voice of European citizens We stand for environmental justice, sustainable development and participatory democracy. Our aim is to ensure the EU secures a healthy environment and rich biodiversity for all.
www.makeresourcescount.eu www.eeb.org
How should the new EU Circular Economy Package address the interface between chemicals, products and waste legislation? TWITTER: @Pbarczak; @Green_Europe; @Resourcescount
The Circular Economy Package Overarching narrative (EC communication) Revisions of EU Waste Directives (Legislative proposals) Closing the loop an EU action plan for the circular economy (another EC communication) including an annex with a timetable for deliverance of policy initiatives and measures of this Commission from 2016-2019 TWITTER: @Pbarczak; @Green_Europe; @Resourcescount
Selection of key elements to be addressed by EU Waste legislation Alignment of definitions, harmonisation and simplification of reporting obligations Targets and measures to strengthen efforts on waste prevention, including on food waste and marine littering Increase of preparing for reuse and recycling targets for municipal waste (65-70%) and packaging waste (75-80%) Possible differentiation of recycling targets between Member States but harmonization/ clarification of calculation methods Gradual limitation of landfilling of municipal waste Introduction of minimum operating conditions for Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) schemes Introduction of an Early Warning System for monitoring compliance with the recycling targets TWITTER: @Pbarczak; @Green_Europe; @Resourcescount
The structure of the EU Circular Action plan Production Consumption Waste Management Markets for secondary raw materials Sectorial actions Innovation and investments Monitoring TWITTER: @Pbarczak; @Green_Europe; @Resourcescount
Our EEB priorities Measuring and monitoring resource efficiency Prioritizing and enforcing waste prevention Driving circular economy through better product design Enhancing product lifetimes before recycling them Promoting legally binding, ambitious recycling targets and stricter accounting rules Making best use of economic incentives to reinforce the demand side Avoiding hazardous legacies to be reinserted into the economy Limiting landfill and incineration to non-recyclable and noncompostable waste
How EU Product Policies can promote a circular economy EEB 2015
1. Slow (long life of products) 2. Small (no superfluous waste) 3. Local (reduces transport emissions) 4. Clean (no toxic substances)
4. Clean (slide 1) (no toxic substances) Quality of recycled material (as good as virgin) to aim at perpetual recycling. Standards for plastic recycling plants - on final material (fullfilling EoW criteria) - on processes (ie. through tighter BREFs) High standard collection and sorting (to avoid impurities) Avoiding health and reputational impacts (by avoiding re-injections of contaminated streams)
4. Clean (slide 2) (no toxic substances) Ambitious REACH implementation essential to de-toxification of material and improve quality and cost effectiveness Source: www.cleanproduction.org And try to get ahead of regulations (REACH) for example by using the SIN list or plastic score card.
Recycling and REACH Key principles A clean, effective and sustainable circular economy requires the removal of problematic substances from products at the design stage. Once recycled material re-enters the economy due to it receiving end of waste status, by complying with specific end of waste criteria or being incorporated in a new product, it must be fully compliant with chemicals legislation. When a temporary exemption/ authorisation has been granted to enable the continued presence of hazardous substances in products made from recycled material, the material should be labelled and associated to a specific marking.
The problem of dilution and contamination of new products through recycled materials IPEN sampled 21 children s toys made of recycled plastic purchased in Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden. OctaBDE and/or DecaBDE was found in 43% of the toys at levels above 50 ppm the level at which the Stockholm Convention consider PCBs (which strongly resemble PBDEs) to be toxic waste. The data shows that OctaBDE and DecaBDE used in plastics for electronics are being recycled at significant levels into plastic children s toys available on the EU market. This finding is in accordance with the study of Chen et al. (2009) and an analysis of the POP-BDE stream in the Netherlands by Leslie et al. (2013) illustrating that 22% of the POP-BDE in waste electrical and electronic equipment is expected to end up in recycled plastics. This survey also complements a recent study by Samsonek and Puype (2013), which found flame retardants from electronic waste recycled into plastic food contact materials such as thermo cups and kitchen utensils. The problem of recycling materials containing POPs and contaminating new products also occurs in recycled foam products such as carpet padding. TWITTER: @Pbarczak; @Green_Europe; @Resourcescount
Scope of the matter Global production volume of nanomaterials: 250 350.000 t/a (2010) (Keller et al. 2013) by 2020 ca. 0,5 kg NM per ton of waste is predicted to be incinerated (Roes et al. 2012) Higher efficiency per unit allows for smaller units > less recycling Release to air/water/soil during production ~ 0,1-2% Mark-Oliver Diesner Nanomaterials as waste 17
Scope of the matter: waste disposal Keller, A. A. & Lazareva, A. (2013). Predicted Releases of Engineered Nanomaterials: From Global to Regional to Local. Environmental Science & Technology Letters. doi:10.1021/ez400106t Mark-Oliver Diesner Nanomaterials as waste 18
Waste disposal facilities availability and quality varies Incineration plants good filters but residues are processed further in metallurgical processes, added to cement, wastewater treatment plants, deposited on landfills, etc. Wastewater treatment plants most nanoparticles aggregate, dissolve or are bound to larger organic molecules the sludge however is partially used as fertilizer, incinerated, or in cements Landfills transformation processes uncertain, retention capabilities uncertain, problem delay Mark-Oliver Diesner Nanomaterials as waste 19
Nanoparticles an recycling Nanoparticles are ubiquitous Seperation of waste streams unlikely The transformation processes are largely unknown Recycling is not yet cost-efficient. Smaller unit sizes increase dispersion of resources in the market Cross contamination to new products from recycled materials Mark-Oliver Diesner Nanomaterials as waste 20
Conclusions Strong increase of nanomaterials on all waste pathways Extremely little knowledge about transformation processes especially: on landfills in cements and roadconstruction in agriculture under incineration conditions Substance flows are altered for nanomaterials on the waste pathway and thus waste management and long term storage have to be re-evaluated Mark-Oliver Diesner Nanomaterials as waste 21
Thank you for your attention Stephane Arditi Product and Waste Policy Manager stephane.arditi@eeb.org Piotr Barczak Waste Policy Officer piotr.barczak@eeb.org Carsten Wachholz Resource use and Product Policy Officer carsten.wachholz@eeb.org Co-funded by Villum Fonden, the European Union and EFTA