BIR: future of EU recycling traders under threat

Archiv – The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) and the European federations for ferrous recycling (EFR), non-ferrous metals recycling (Eurometrec) and paper recycling (ERPA) are seriously concerned about the revision of the EU Waste Shipment Regulations, on which the European Council is now determining its position.The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) and the European federations for ferrous recycling (EFR), non-ferrous metals recycling (Eurometrec) and paper recycling (ERPA) are seriously concerned about the revision of the EU Waste Shipment Regulations, on which the European Council is now determining its position.
Early in the legislative process, the European Commission added a ’notifier hierarchy’ that, from 2006, threatens seriously to restrict licensed collectors, registered dealers, brokers and traders from carrying out their specialist activities. Currently, these businesses are licensed, registered or permitted by their national authorities. The Commission never publicly justified this ‘€˜notifier hierarchy’€™ and its origin remains a mystery. The hierarchy slipped through the EU Parliament’€™s first reading and has been submitted to the Council. Unless a change is forthcoming, this legal text will damage currently well-functioning markets by removing specialist operators, it is argued.
For the whole range of other recyclables accounting for up to 50% of all materials used by industry, no dealer, trader or broker would be allowed to arrange export to industrialising countries which require notifications. Furthermore, no dealer, trader or broker in those materials would be allowed to arrange export to Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Poland or Slovakia, which require notification through Accession Treaty arrangements. It is argued that such a system would damage business and inadvertently encourage the dropping of controls by those industrialising countries which want materials yet require notification.
For many years, dealers, traders and brokers have played a key role in the management of metal-containing drosses, ashes and residues. Their positive impact on the efficiency of the metal recycling industry is well recognised by the OECD, according to the leading recycling organisations.
The knowledge that dealers, brokers and traders have of the recycling marketplace is claimed to be as specialist as that of estate and insurance agents in their own markets. It is argued that preventing or restricting an estate agent’€™s activities would not make the house seller or house buyer’€™s task any easier. Therefore, the ‘€˜notifier hierarchy’€™ should be seen as a retrograde step.
Despite pleas from recycling organisations for action at national level, the text remains in place and time is running out. Since the Commission is continuing to support a curtailment of the role of these specialists and since the European Parliament was not allowed to consider the issue, it is up to member state experts at the European Council of Ministers to support the very businessmen that their administrations license, register and permit, the recycling organisations contend.