A new research requested by Zero Waste Europe to Eunomia Reserch & Consulting shows that the real tax for recycling of beverages’ bricks on four european countries is far below than what is being published at present.
16 of december of 2020
The research ‘Reciclaje de envases compuestos – bricks para envases de bebidas’ has been requested by Zero Waste Europe, platform in which participates the “Alianza Residuo Cero”, of which Rezero is a part. Its pages analyze, using the updated methodolgy of calculation of recycling of European Union, the real taxes of recycling of carboard packages for drinks at the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Sweden.
Thus, thanks to this analysis, is estimated that in Spain the estimated percentage of real recycling (21.5%) is minor than the 80% tax that is established by the “Asociación de Envases de Cartón para Bebidas y Medio Ambiente (ACE)” and the pick up tax of 51.2%.
On Germany, the tax of real recycling it’s 47.8%, a number far from the tax of recycling of 75% and pick up of 87.4% published by the ACE. Sweden and the United Kingdom, on their behalf, have a tax of recycling of cardboard packages from beverages of 21.9% and 29.5%, respectively, underneath of the ones published by the ACE of 33% and 36%, respectively for these countries.
Beverages’ bricks present a challenge for recycling due to their complex composition. Even though their materials are technically recyclable, the cardboard package format, generally made of united layers of cardboard, plastic polymers and aluminium, dificults the separation of these materials for their recycling and reprocessing.
This report also highlights the difficulty of identifying and separating beverages cardboard bricks at the designated facilities, as well as the lack of processing capability at recylcling facilities, which has an additional impact on the recycling tax.
Joan Marc Simon, director of Zero Waste Europe, points that “while the plastic has been on the spotlight for its low taxes of pick up and recycling, this report shows that other materials such as cardboardaren’t doing much better. Having in sight the new recycling objectives, these being mandatory for the members of the European Union, and its new methodes of calculation, the EU must elaborate clear guidelines and methodologies to ensure real recycleability”
This new data about recycling of brick packages pop up at a very important moment, whilst the Spanish Government is developing a new law of waste and contaminated land, which will establish new objectives and instruments to move forward in regards of prevention, reutilization and quality recycling. A proposition of law that the entities of “Alianza Residuo Cero” consider that it should be much more ambitious than what is currently being considered and, in the carboards bricks department, it should opt for:
This new data about recycling of brick packages pop up at a very important moment, whilst the Spanish Government is developing a new law of waste and contaminated land, which will establish new objectives and instruments to move forward in regards of prevention, reutilization and quality recycling. A proposition of law that the entities of “Alianza Residuo Cero” consider that it should be much more ambitious than what is currently being considered and, in the carboards bricks department, it should opt for:
Assuring that the producers of packages prioritize the circularity on design processes it’s one of the major commitments of the market.
Upgrading the investment on reutilization and recycling facilities. Establish quotas of reusable packages for beverages to both HORECA (bars and restaurants) and retailers and supermarekts.
On this matter, Rosa García, director of Rezero Fundation considers: “This new research reassures that brick packages represent the paradigmatic example of complex package, multilayered, hardly reciclable and that is necessary to be replaced with reusable packaging or relyable recyclables”.
Start up efficient means of pick up and separation of packages, such as returning the bricks to the store or supermarket in exchange of a small economic deposit.
Miquel Roset, director of Retorna claims: “Spain should follow the trail of Portugal, which has just regulated that starting the 1st of January of 2022 people can return cans, bottles and bricks to the stores, that way preventing that each day millions of those packacges end up on natural or urban areas.
Make available labelling about common recyclability, trustworthy and widely accepted for packaging, whose rating depends on the characteristics of the product and the technologies of pick up and recycling availables to date.
For Carlos Arribas, responsible of “Residuos en Ecologistas en Acción”, “carboard bricks are really difficult to recycle in all of its components and they are the example of what it should not be allowed. It should not be authorized to launch a product that doesn’t fully show that it is recyclable o reusable”.
On his part, Xavier Curto, lobby’s responsible of Surfrider Spain, reports: “the consumers are confused by the false promises of recyclability of packages and the marketing campaigns of greenwashing that accompany some of the products on brick packages”.
On this line, Julio Barea, responsible of the waste campaing of Greenpeace Spain, insists: “ Ecoembes leads a packaging management that, far from provocking changes directed at reducing the enviromental impact and on human health, fostering ecodesing and launching more easily recyclable packages, perpetuates it’s model and the bussiness of the affiliated companies.
To end, Adriana Espinosa, responsible of “Amigos de la Tierra, reminded that: “This research proves, once again, how far is recycling of being a really useful tool for waste management. The packaging industry insists on proposing surreal solutions that keep us away from what we really need. The new Law of Waste must be based on waste prevention, reuse and the enlarged responsability on the producer as fundamental pillars.”
Read the full research here.
You can download the infographics (Germany, Spain, UK, and Sweden).
Note
Previously, the recycling tax for drinks packages was calculated in function of the packages collected or separated for their recycling. However, agreeing with the new methodology of the EU, launched at 2019 and that probably is implemented on the UK, each material of the packaging will be considered recycled when that material really enters the process of recycling. For composed materials as cardboard, the tax of recycling must be based on the tax of each material that is made from, which will transform radically the recycling tax of carboard packages for drinks.
About Zero Waste Europe
ZWE is an independant european iniciative that gathers organizations and towns compromised to work for the elimination of waste in Europe. ZWE participates on the international organization Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA). ZWE participates in the transposition of the directives about waste, including the waste package (framework directive of waste, directive about spills, ecodesign) and one use plastics, but also on initiatives about products, energy and health and toxic substances. ZWE also works on climate politics such as the strategy of the EU for 2050, the Directive of Renewable Energies, Emission Rights Trading Regime of the European Union, and Sustainable Finances.
About Alianza Residuo Cero
Alianza residuo Cero is part of Zero Waste Europe, platform formed by 30 organizations of 24 european countries. According to this platform, it is understood as “Zero Waste” the model of waste management that tries to emulate nature cycles in which all of the discarded for a process are needed for another use, pragmatically and long-term. Zero Waste means dessigning and managing the products and processes in a way that the volume and the toxicity of the waste generated is diminished, that the resources are conserved and recovered and they’re not burnt or buried. The implementation of Zero Waste models would eliminate all aerial emissions, as well as land and water emissions, which threaten nowadays the health of humans, animals, vegetals and the planet.
About Eunomia
Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd (“Eunomia”) was founded in Bristol, England, on year 2001. It’s and independent consultancy dedicated to add value to organizations through reaching the best results. It has more than 70 employees on the United Kingdom and offices in Bristol, London, Manchester , Glasgow, Brussels, Copenhagen, Auckland and New York. With presence around the world, consultants of Eunomia have experience adn knowledge on enviromental, technical and comercial disciplines. Eunomia advises numerous organiations, among them the European Comission, centrral governments, local and regional authorities, national public services, tech businesses and waste management and global financial institutions. It has a wide experience supporting local governments on development of holistic approaches to improve their envormental impact, such as the identification of inefficiencies, seraching for optimal solutions, attitude measurment towars new models of delivery of products/services, compliance of norms in an efficient way, as well as elaboriation of practical solutions for impulsing the change in organizations of every type and size. For more infomation: www.eunomia.co.uk
Más información:
Anna Peña (directora de comunicación de Rezero): 651 05 89 88 Adriana Espinosa (responsable de recursos naturales y residuos de Amigos de la Tierra): 690 392 549
Carlos Arribas (responsable de residuos de Ecologistas en Acción): 676 048 331
Julio Barea (responsable campaña de residuos de Greenpeace): 626 998 253
César Sánchez (responsable de comunicación de Retorna): 644 16 59 65
Xavier Curto (responsable de lobby de la delegación española de Surfrider Foundation Europe) 653 371 524