Product Take-Back in Europe - Some Legislative Initiatives (Past and Present)

EC Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive Problem: Landfills are filling up and the European Member States must find a way to minimize their future use. Solution: Use economic instruments to promote EC objectives within a single market. Means: Recovery and recycling of packaging by weight in accordance with certain targets over time

Packaging Definition All materials for containment, handling, and delivery of products, goods, and raw materials. Includes: –Industrial packaging –Primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging No small package exemption. No food, drug, and cosmetic exemption.

Within Five Years of Directive Each member state must: recover by packaging weight –minimum of 50% –maximum of 65% recycle by “overall weight of packaging in waste stream” –minimum of 25% –maximum of 45% per material –minimum of 15% Note the maxima. Why would one put maxima on recovery?

Regulatory Instruments Within 3 years only packaging meeting the essential requirements may be placed upon the market. Essential requirements: –volume –weight –composition –returnable –recyclable –recoverable –recoverable in form of energy recovery –compostible –biodegradable

German Packaging Ordinance – Duales System Deutschland (DSD) Green dot symbol which may be applied to packaging for a licensing fee. Oldest system in place (since 1991). Private packaging waste collection system for collection, separation and recycling of used packaging. Onus on manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. Targets on collection and recycling of packaging: –80% collection –90% of collected materials for sorting and recycling

DSD – Material Type Distinction As of 1995, the following types and percentages are collected: Glass ­ 70% Tinplate ­ 70% Aluminum/other materials ­ 70% Laminates ­ 65% Paper/corrugate ­ 65% Plastics ­ 65%

DSD Experience High success rate: –95% awareness –75% returnable bottle rate High cost –$6 billion to set up –$1 billion annual operating cost –$160/ton waste management cost Inability to recycle collected materials Trade barrier –Increased market entry costs –export of collected materials –unfair dumping practices in underdeveloped countries Demand for revisions.

Electronic Waste in Europe Project to examine improvement in waste management started in Jan and is to be completed by mid Take back to be considered –Germany has prepared legislation –France has recommended it in report Four working groups 1.Definitions 2.Roles and payments 3.Data on waste volumes and content 4.Feasibility, cost and benefits of recovery Other projects in Europe: –Used tires- Used cars –Chlorinated solvents- Health care waste

Germany Electronic take-back law shelved for the moment (?) Household appliance manufacturers (Bosch-Siemens, AEG, Miele, Bauknecht) doing joint recycling with waste companies. –Use both “bring” and “curb-side pickup” –All based on disposal fee paid by user. Consumer electronics (Sony, Mitsubishi, Siemens, Apple, HP) have started a joint recovery/recycling initiative named CARE – Comprehensive Approach for Recycling of Electronics. –CARE proposes to develop, by 2000, international repair, reuse, and recovery standards for products, parts and materials. Austria will follow Germany on this subject.

German Waste Framework Law To come into force by 1996 Establishes waste management hierarchy. Decrees will follow for specific waste streams. Products must be designed and manufactured to –not create environmental problems during dismantling, recycling, or disposal –be reusable, long-lived, easy to repair –contain no hazardous materials

Netherlands Dutch Environmental Management Act makes manufacturers and importers of household appliances and consumer electronics responsible for developing collection and recycling schemes for their products. The Dutch Association of Suppliers of Household Appliances (VLEHAN) has developed a collection scheme that would be financed by a surcharge on new products. Tests to be run: –Collection of used refrigerators (in 1995) –Collection of consumer electronics (in 1995) Household appliances and consumer electronics will be banned from landfills in proposed legislation.

United Kingdom and France UK –Proposal from Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling (ICER) on recycling refrigerators to personal computers. –Tests to start in 1995 on 230,000 households. –Tests both curbside and bring schemes and different recycling techniques. –Levy scheme – based on new products – to fund recycling program. France –Does not advocate take-back legislation. –Prefers cooperative effort by producers, distributors, and consumers to develop recovery system.

Sweden and PVC The Swedish Life-Cycle Commission – an advisory body set up by the government to develop proposals for material recycling and reuse – has recommended a complete phaseout of PVC in Sweden by Nordic countries are discussing proposals to label electronic waste as hazardous waste.

Belgium Eco-Taxes Hits one way packaging and disposable products. Favors reuse systems: –Beverage packaging –PVC beverage bottles –Single-use cameras –Batteries –Containers of products for industrial use (inks, solvents, pesticides, glues, oils) –Biocides (nonagricultural pesticides for consumer use) Flanders is preparing to negotiate voluntary waste management agreements with the white goods sector, starting with domestic refrigerators.

Belgium (cont.) Exemption examples: –recycled content of 40% to 80% –refillable containers Criticisms: –No sound environmental analysis. –Protection of Belgian industry, distorting competition within the EC. –Discriminates against certain packaging without economic justification. –Does not consider recyclability as an alternative. –Does not give sufficient credit to incineration.