Sector seethes over new waste shipment regulation

Continuing concern among recyclers of the consequences of the European Union’s newly adopted Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) came to the fore during BIR’s convention in Copenhagen.

The guest speaker during the session of the International Trade Council was Martyna Robakowska, policy officer in the European Commission’s DG Environment. She explained the key objectives of WSR were to ensure the environment was protected in relation to shipments of waste and that the EU met its requirements under multilateral environmental agreements.

Measures include a requirement that exports to non-OECD countries after May 2027 will be allowed only if the receiving country has notified the European Commission in advance, supported by documentation, of its willingness to accept the material.

EU exporters, meanwhile, will have to demonstrate through audits that the waste is being managed in an environmentally sound manner. Robakowska insisted the intention was not to disrupt trade and that the EC was open to collaboration to make the process as smooth as possible.

Passion

Session chairman Michael Lion, of Hong Kong-based Everwell Resources, said at the outset it was ‘a subject that has generated a great deal of passion’. The rest of the session proved his point although, awkwardly, most of the panellists’ comments were directed at policy makers rather than the EU official sitting alongside them.

Julia Blees, secretary general of the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation, insisted on stakeholder engagement, not least with importing countries. ‘Everybody needs to know what they have to do now,’ she said.

‘We need to communicate and to engage,’ agreed Ibrahim Aboura, md of Aboura Metals in the UAE and chairman of BIR’s communications committee. ‘This (revised WSR) has been implemented and we need to look forward.’

Delays

John Sacco, of Sierra International Machinery in the USA, argued that ‘inevitable’ errors would lead to insurmountable delays for businesses. ‘Now is the time to sit at the table together.’

Murat Bayram, md of European Metal Recycling in Germany, was frustrated with what he termed ‘a one-size-fits-all’ regulation and called on the EC to enforce the revised WSR in a way that did not damage an industry at the very heart of the drive towards sustainability.

Lion asked if there was scope for a working group involving the EC and the recycling industry to identify and overcome potential problems. Blees followed up with an invitation to officials to visit recycling facilities to gain a clearer appreciation of the industry’s activities.