Establishing a circular economy framework for the plastics ...
How to make plastics part of the Circular Economy - NRK Helmut Maurer... · How to make plastics...
Transcript of How to make plastics part of the Circular Economy - NRK Helmut Maurer... · How to make plastics...
How to make plastics part of the Circular Economy
NRK Recycling "plastics gone circular"
Prof. Dr. jur. Helmut Maurer
European Commission, DG ENV, Amsterdam 10.06.2016
what is behind circular economy?
Risks to manage and timeline
"demography and exponential growth" 1950-1985 2%p.a.
Exponential growth in all parametersall around 1950
"The Climate Bubble"
European Central Bank, Systemic Risk Board (ESRB)
and
Bank of England (Gouverneur Mark Carney) acknowledge "Stranded Carbon"
Financial markets see new risks fromstranded carbon. This should radicallychange product and waste policy.https://www.esrb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/asc/Reports_ASC_6_1602.pdf
Don't use known fossil fuel reserves
Ekins/Mc Glade (University College London): "until 2050 only 1000 billion tons more Co2 allowed to hit the 2° C target"
Energy firm's booked assets are equivalent to 2900 billion tons of Co2
Consequence: Explored world energy reserves to leave in the ground
= 33% Oil
= 49% Gas
= 82% Coal
Business as usual no option
• 1975 (only 35 years) 2010
225% increase in world GDP
64% population growth
120% increase in material consumption
Source: Lacy et.al, Wertschöpfung statt Verschwendung, München, 2015 (Waste to Wealth)
What do we use fossil fuel for?
A function of linear economy?
Production, Packaging, Transport, Consumption
Global Temperature Increasemore growth in the north – less in the south
http
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what can we do to mitigate
climate change ?
Operational tool: waste policywatch out for incineration !!
Quelle: UBA 2015
Obviously we have to do things fundamentally
different
Simply Change the
Perspective
product policy waste policy
Waste Prevention–incl. re-use
Preparing for re-use
RECYCLING
Recovery
Disposal
Tools to move up thewaste hierarchy
• Design for recycling• Extended producer
responsibility• Separate waste
collection• Recycling targets
Is the future of plastic energy recovery ? Statistics, RDF and recycling
http://www.fccenvironment.co.uk/fcc-environment-challenges-helmut-mauers-view-on-plastics-recycling.html
Linear Plastic we haveTreated as cheap disposable material
litter
Ruthless marketing without pointing to harm to the environment if not properly handled
Disposed in landfills = in the oceans
Incineration looks clever for the naive
Invites to design for early obsolescence
no repair, no upgrade, short life, hazardous additives, not recycling friendly
Radically expansive production (cosmetics/irrational and ignorant uses)
Circular plastic we want
Plastic not by all means, but where it makes sense (no abuse of LCA)
Non-toxic plastic. Precautionary principle against risk based approach
Only recyclable plastic, no cynical products like oxo-degradable plastic
Plastic that is too valuable to be burnt
Plastic requires responsible producers who:
Warn
Inform
Collect and enable recycling not burning
The reality of our linear plastic age
Municipal waste full of plasticConfusion about what is recycling and
what is energy recovery (statistical distortion)
Stone age landfill – a widely (ab)-used option
Oceans and Sea Food suffer from the plastic pest
Linear Austria: Collect, sort and
incinerate ?
A Circular Economy looks first at products and
then at wasteFocusses first on waste
prevention (Products / the "other half of the circle")
Focusses secondly on preparation for re-use and recycling (Waste)
Too much plastic ends up in landfills
Landfill ban on recyclable plastic
What are the most Important drivers for circular economy from the waste
side ?
STOP LANDFILLINGlandfill rate and energy recovery still today close to
80%, collection for recycling 20%
New Art. 5, 3f Landfill Directive
No Landfill of separately collected waste, Art. 11(1) und Art. 22 WFD Plastic, Glass, Metal, Paper (and Biowaste)
See for separate collection: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/Separate%20collection_Final%20Report.pdf
New Art. 22 WFD
Obligation to separately collect Biowaste
Economic rationale of a landfill ban
Increase of recyclable municipal waste, in particular plastic waste from packagingeconomy of scale. E.g.: FR would recycle more plastic but the material is not there.
Boost for manufacturers of sorting and recycling machines. In particular for plastics.
Saving of virgin raw materials and the externalized costs of extraction.
Circular Economy through
Target Review ?
and other politically relevant elements
Relevant targets for plastic
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2013 2025target
2030target
% preparation for reuse and recycling (1
method)
2020
PPWD: Plastic recycling target
radically increased from 23% today to
55% until 2025
Municipal waste
Operational Tool number “1” separate collection
Co-mingled versus separate ?
• Separate collection defined: Art. 3 (11) and 11(1), 10(2),22 WFD
on average, only 19 % of generated municipal waste is collected separately in EU-28 capitals: in other words, 80% of the waste still ends up in the residual waste bin.
Overall objective:
go for the highest possible yield and choose process accordingly
PAYT has proven to give the highest yield boost to sorting technology
Don’t give incineration of recyclables any chance
Pay as you throw is the most effective -flat rate charge the worst
Table: Fixed or PAYT funding schemes for the collection schemes implemented by the 28 EU capital cities
Table: Fixed or PAYT funding schemes for the collection schemes implemented by the 28 EU capital cities
PAYT Fixed fee + PAYT Flat rate N/A
Berlin, Budapest, Dublin, Helsinki,
Ljubljana, Tallinn, Vienna
Copenhagen, Stockholm,
Warsaw
Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon,
London, Luxembourg, Paris,
Vilnius
Athens, Bratislava, Bucharest, Madrid, Nicosia, Prague, Riga, Rome, Sofia,
Valetta, Zagreb
Average collection rate (separate
collected/generated MSW quantities)
35 % 17 % 17 % 10 %
Implications of judgment C-323/13 of 15 October 2014
No acceptance of waste in situ at landfills
"Sorting" considered as treatment
"effet utile":reduce volume, reduce
hazardousness, enhance recovery, stabilise bio-waste
Consequence for waste management practice:
Collect separately as much as you can
Automatic sorting where necessary
The rest undergoes treatment
Automatic sorting usually necessary
Big boost for sorting technology in EU
a few close ups
What counts for statistics ?
Principle:
Input to the final Recycling process
+ what is prepared for re-use (Logic ?)
Exception:
also output of sorting if rejects are below
10%
Calculation of exports
calculation methods for recycling
New Art 8a, formulating new requirements for PROs, such as: Producers pay less if marketing sustainable
products. Much potential for plastics
Adequate financial solidity
Self-control and internal audit on financial management and data control
Publication of info about owners and members , contributions and selection procedure for waste operators
Full cost coverage of waste management by producers
Extended Producer Responsibility
• Process: DG ENV and DG GROW co-responsible, DG SG in the lead
• Content to be discussed:
• Is the Ellen McArthur approach a blueprint for a plastic strategy?
• Feedstock for plastic a relevant strategic decision?
• Product design, what are the priorities ?
• Developing recycling markets through quality criteria for recyclates? (EoW or similar)
• Recycling legacy additives? Traceability !!!
• how to prevent leakage to the environment?
• Biodegradable plastics a long term substitution ?
• The role of consumers, GPP, informed choices
• The international dimension
Action Plan Circular Economy – the plastics strategy
Thank you for your attention !Additional sources of information:
DG ENV “waste” website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment//waste/index.htm
Green paper on Plastic Waste: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pdf/green_paper/green_paper_en.pdf
Fitness Check 2014: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52014SC0209&from=EN
Study on separate collectionhttp://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/index.htm
Eurostat Databases: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/waste/introduction
EEA: http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/waste