TRENDS & UPDATES
63recyclinginternational.com | March/April | 2023
ratl-messe.com
PANASONIC LOOKS TO CUT E-SCRAP VOL-
UME IN US
Panasonic has unveiled a takeback scheme for unwanted
electronic devices at the annual Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas.
According to the electronic giant, more than 88 million
Americans use an electric shaver or trimmer. ‘Most of these
are destined for landfills, wasting an opportunity to recycle
the batteries, metals, and other materials trapped in the
devices,’ the producer says. ‘Our programme aims to start
diverting this e-waste to an important input stream for a
more circular supply chain – and pay consumers to do it.’
To participate in the Take-back Tomorrow scheme, an owner
of such devices signs up at PanasonicMultiShape.com.
Panasonic covers the costs of shipping the end-of-life prod-
uct with partner ERI. The recycler has created a pre-paid
label for consumers to pack and send used products for
recycling.
Lithium-ion batteries taken from these devices will be sent
to Redwood Materials to recycle and remanufacture the
metals into critical anode and cathode components for
Panasonic’s electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Recycled cathode active materials from Redwood will be
used in lithium-ion
batteries manu-
factured at
Panasonic’s new
EV battery facility
under construc-
tion in De Soto,
Kansas, starting in
2025.
PRE-SORTING ESSENTIAL FOR MIXED WASTE
Zero Waste Europe and Reloop have released guidelines for mixed waste sorting in the context of the Renewable Energy Directive.
The companies recommend sorting systems of a defined quality should be
used to remove fossil-derived materials from the waste. This would ensure
that only biogenic waste is used for renewable energy generation. In future,
they say, operators would either pre-sort the waste on-site or demonstrate
that the waste they receive has been sorted before being delivered for
incineration.
Recommendations include setting the following minimum performance cri-
teria for MSW systems:
• Plastics > 70%, with non-target materials contributing no more than 10%
• Steel >80%, with non-target materials contributing no more than 4%
• Aluminium >60%, with non-target materials contributing no more than 6%
The guidelines have been developed to clarify an amendment proposed by
the European Parliament regarding the use of mixed wastes for ‘renewable
energy’ purposes.
‘Currently, at incineration plants, the biodegradable fraction of mixed waste
is never combusted without large quantities of (often recyclable) fossil-derived materials being present,’ says Janek Vähk, Climate, Energy
and Air Pollution Programme coordinator at Zero Waste Europe. ‘Therefore, to ensure that the renewable energy directive supports
schemes that don’t allow the burning of fossil materials such as plastics, mixed waste sorting should be made mandatory for operators that
want to sell their energy as renewable.’
In addition to improving separate collection and design for recycling, a recent report by Eunomia Research and Consulting found that pre-
sorting of mixed waste is necessary to ensure that existing plastic packaging and municipal waste recycling targets are met and to ensure
progress towards the EU’s wider emissions goals.
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