Republic of Slovenia – Ministry for Environment and Spatial Planning Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia PACKAGING WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN SLOVENIA Eva Lipovž-Ančik, M.Sc. Environmental Agency of Republic of Slovenia Waste Management Section 22. July 2009, Sofia (BG) TAIEX – Infra 32644

Packaging Waste Management System in Slovenia  Introduction  Strategy of Waste Management in European Union and Slovenia  Packaging Waste Management System in Slovenia  Problems from the Field  Conclusions Source:

INTRODUCTION Source: sl.wikipedia.org SLOVENIABULGARIA RepublicOrganizationRepublic LjubljanaCapital CitySofia Joining EU sq.kmArea sq.km (2002) Population (2001) 99 people/ sq.km69 people/ sq.km 7 (non-formal)Regions28 210Municipalities260

EU and SLO – Strategy of Waste Management  Waste prevention and recycling:  Waste – a negative issue or an opportunity?  Key objective = waste prevention! if not possible – use it as a resource  Material flow – closing the loop  Waste hierarchy:  waste minimization  recovery processes  disposal processes Source:

PACKAGING WASTE: Important Waste Stream

Packaging Waste Management Systems Producer-responsibility management scheme  Producer’s responsibility  Establishment of a specific company (collection, treatment – financed by the producers)  Easier to achieve recycling/prevention targets  Responsibilities of authorities: establishment of regulatory framework for collection & treatment and for control  Negative side = Parallel collection schemes Environmental taxes and fees  Effective and economic instruments – high costs for disposing waste  Supplement the legislative framework set at national level  If too high => possible illegal and uncontrolled waste disposal  Before their introduction => cost- benefit analysis based on environmental and economical terms should be done

NATIONAL LEGISLATION ON PACKAGING AND PACKAGING WASTE  The Rules on Handling Packaging and Packaging Waste (OG RS 104/00)  target recovery shares (end of 2007): min. 50% of total recovery min. 25% of total recycling (15% for each packaging material)  The Operational Programme for the Management of Packaging and Packaging Waste for Period (OG RS 29/02)  a step-by-step plan for achieving recovery targets  The Decree on Environmental Tax on the Generation of Packaging Waste (OG RS 32/06, 65/06 and 78/08)  The Decree on the Management of Packaging and Packaging Waste (OG RS 84/06, 106/06 and 110/07)  target recovery shares (end of 2012): min. 60 % of total recovery min. 55 % and max 80% of total recycling paper&cardboard – 60%, plastic – 22,5%, wood – 15%, metal – 50%, glass – 60%

SLOVENIA: PRODUCER-RESPONSIBILITY PACKAGING WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM  Change in thinking!  Environmental tax for packaging/packed goods placed on Slovenian market (CORS)  Options:  non-municipal PW => joining the trade company or developing an individual system (license form EARS!)  municipal PW => joining the trade company  nothing (< kg) or annual statement about quantity of all PW produced  Annual reporting on quantities to EARS  trade company – for all its members  individual system – by itself

Trade Company for Managing Packaging Waste (system/scheme for managing PW)  Obligations:  collecting, storing, sorting, recovery/disposal  achieving target shares of recovery/recycling for total PW and for each packaging material  annual reporting to EARS for each member  Costs:  depending on packaging material and type of packaging  EUR/ton ?!  Current Trade Companies:   Ekodin  Surovina

Individual System for Managing Packaging Waste  Non-municipal packaging waste  License from EARS (valid for 5 years)  Obligations:  meeting target shares of recovery by themselves or by handing PW over to the recyclers  annual reporting to EARS  Main problem:  wooden packaging (pallets) – ensuring 15% recycling

Municipal Packaging Waste  municipal packaging waste = PW from households + similar PW (restaurants, schools, …)  Public Waste Services: organized and supervised by municipalities (differences!)  separately collected fractions of PW must be handed over to trade companies  shares of quantities handed over to trade companies defined by the Environmental Ministry for each trade company  annual reporting to EARS

Quantities of Packaging Waste Produced (t) (Source: ) Pap&Cardb Plastic Wood Metal Glass Other Together Slovenian average of produced packaging waste ~ 100 kg/citizen (EU average ~ 172 kg/citizen)

Quantities of Recovered Packaging Waste (t) (Source: ) Total recovery Share of recovery 8 %12 %13 %43 %47 % Target share 2007 min. 50 % Target share 2012 min. 60 %

Problems from the Field  Classification of pack. waste (composite packaging, hazardous PW)  Responsibility of final user (!) to empty PW properly (hazardous PW)  Reporting not necessary if < kgs and/or a member of a trade company  Responsibility of producers of packaging/ pack. waste for all types of PW (tertiary or transport packaging!)  Differences among trade companies (prices, flexibility)  More than one trade company – how to define shares of municipal PW  Achieving recycling targets as individual system (wooden PW - R1 is not recycling)  Environmental tax – grave-side lights

Latest Problems from the Field…  collapse of waste-market:  trade companies – obliged or not to collect municipal PW from public waste services (at their side) ?!  extra-charging by trade companies for transport of PW from final users to collecting centers (should be in-calculated into general costs for joining a system)  will collapse also the system of PWM schemes?!  pilot-project with municipal PW: yellow bags  plastics, metals, tetra-packs  regular collection (1x/week) by local public waste service – no extra costs!  ? for urban areas (more appropriate for individual houses - control)

CONCLUSIONS  Slovenia has a producer-responsibility packaging waste management system since 2002, and it was estimated to become fully active in ten years.  The target recovery shares of total packaging waste from Slovenian and EU packaging waste legislation were not yet met in any one year but are growing.  To reach better shares of recovery and handling packaging waste in general, more intense and constant involvement of the public is needed what should be achieved through different projects of education on this topic.

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