Recycling news: 2023

Global Bioplastics and the circular economy Open the document European Bioplastics (EUBP) welcomes the transition away from a linear to a circular economy, whilst urging legislators to consider measures, which accelerate the sustainable development of Europe’s bio-economy by promoting the use of biobased products and the separate collection of biowaste when revising the draft Circular Economy Package and Action [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global Biodegradable plastics in the single-use context Open the document On 28 May 2018, the European Commission presented a proposal for a Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain single-use plastic (SUP) products on the environment. The proposal is part of a wider framework of policy initiatives in the European Union aimed at reducing plastic waste and particularly [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global Marine litter Open the document In order to minimise and ultimately prevent further pollution of the marine environment, European Bioplastics: considers the full implementation of EU waste legislation and an increase in the efficiency of waste management crucial; supports the gradual phase-out of landfilling for plastic products in Europe and appropriate measures to expand recycling [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global Plastic shopping bags Open the document European Bioplastics recognises the need for a more resource efficient and sustainable economy. An overall reduction in the consumption of plastic shopping bags will play an important role achieving this goal. European Bioplastics advocates the introduction of suitable measures to minimise the consumption of oil-based plastic shopping bags, such as [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global ISWA President appointed to Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste ISWA (International Solid Waste Association) · 19 Apr 2023 Global Time for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty In advance of the highly anticipated 2023 Beyond Growth Conference, this piece is the second in a weekly series to be published together on 8 May in the special issue magazine “Imagining Europe Beyond Growth”, developed in partnership with Belgian de-growth think tank Oikos. The magazine, curated by our Senior Policy Officer for Systemic Change Nick Meynen, will feature 18 articles from diverse… META (European Environmental Bureau) · 19 Apr 2023 Global Enforcement struggles to take root in Deforestation Regulation New EU rules on deforestation are notable from an environmental democracy perspective. However, a closer examination of the text's access to justice aspect suggests that it may once again fail to take root. META (European Environmental Bureau) · 19 Apr 2023 Global Biodegradable plastics and the circular economy in Europe Open the document European Bioplastics (EUBP) welcomes the EU Commission’s efforts to replace the traditional linear economy model (make, use, dispose) by implementing an ambitious circular economy throughout Europe. Bioplastics, and biodegradable plastics in particular, can play an essential part in putting the envisioned circularity model into practice. This paper refers to biodegradable [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global EPR in the Global South – a framework for circular packaging and flexibles? Part 1: Tensions, trends and challenges Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation is springing up across the globe. However, there are no two systems alike and implementation faces challenges. #MissionCircular explores the issues. CEFLEX (Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging) · 19 Apr 2023 Global Sound LCA as a basis for policy formulation Open the document In recent years, policymakers have become increasingly reliant on the use of Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) to establish a proper basis for more transparent and evidence-based decisionmaking on policies and regulation. However, successful LCAs must take into account a number of considerations in terms of how they influence the final [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global EUBP membership benefits Open the document Companies already involved in the bioplastics business sector but not yet a member of European Bioplastics should consider the advantages of connecting to our information and business platform and enlarging their network. Newcomers to our industry and/or the European market in particular can rely on European Bioplastics to help them [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global EUBP Project request Open the document With a project partnering request you can reach out to members of European Bioplastics that have expressed their interest in co-operative research activities. This project partnering request does not commit you to accepting partnering applications that you receive in response; it is simply a tool to assist you with matching [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global EUBP Business request Open the document With a business request you can reach out to the members of European Bioplastics. By filling in the business request form and sending it back to the association, you authorise European Bioplastics to forward your request to all its members by email. They may then contact you directly with an offer. European [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global EUBP members list Open the document European Bioplastics represents the interests of more than 80 member companies along the entire value chain of bioplastics. Our members develop, produce, refine, and distribute bioplastics and are located all over the globe and engage in the European market. For an interactive list of all our members, please click here. [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global Claims on biodegradability and compostability on products and packaging Open the document Claims about biodegradability and compostability are widely used to label products and packaging regarding their end-of-life. Biodegradation can take place in different systems (industrial or home composting) and environments (soil, water). In general, the sole claim “biodegradable” on products and packaging, without indicating specific standards or environments in which the [… European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global Mixed Waste Processing with Tomra Autosort Santa Barbara County’s Resource Center sorts municipal solid waste (MSW) and single stream using the same circuit with the sorting technology realized in the Tomra Autosort. Santa Barbara County’s Resource Center in California may be a model of efficiency for future material recovery facilities (MRF) in North America. Conceptualized roughly 20 years ago, the mixed […] Global Recycling · 19 Apr 2023 Global FAQs on enzyme-mediated degradable plastics Open the document Enzyme-mediated plastics are not bioplastics. They are conventional, fossil-based plastics with additives. They are neither biodegradable nor compostable. EuBP recommends using only materials certified according to EN and ISO standards. Find the answers to frequently asked questions on enzyme-mediated plastics. European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global FAQs on bioplastics Open the document Learn about bioplastics and find the answers to frequently asked questions on: European Bioplastics End-of-life Feedstock General questions Human health Market Material, properties and technology Political framework Standardisation, certification, labelling Sustainability European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global Bioplastics facts & figures Open the document Plastics are an integral part of our modern life. They play an essential role in providing, protecting, and delivering high-quality products in pretty much every market segment to consumers around the world. Today, there is a bioplastic alternative for almost every conventional plastic material and corresponding application. Bioplastics – plastics [...] European Bioplastics News · 19 Apr 2023 Global What are bioplastics? Open the document Material types, terminology, and labels – an introduction European Bioplastics News · 18 Apr 2023 Global Bioplastics packaging – combining performance with sustainability Open the document The overarching problem of climate change and the future shortage of fossil resources has accelerated the search for better concepts for plastics packaging. Approaches to reuse and recycle plastics in closed loops need to be developed, while making an efficient use of resources at all times. With the corresponding demands [...] European Bioplastics News · 18 Apr 2023 Global Biodegradable and compostable bioplastic bags in anaerobic digestion Open the document Biodegradable and compostable products that are certified according to the harmonized European standard EN 13432 (or EN 14995) are suitable for organic recycling and will completely biodegrade in an industrial composting plant, with no adverse effects on the process or on the final product (compost). These materials are working well [...] European Bioplastics News · 18 Apr 2023 Global Joint feedback by energy intensive industries to the Expert Group on Climate Change Policy List of topics The whole document can be downloaded here. CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries) · 18 Apr 2023 Global Chemical recycling Open the document Chemical recycling has gained increased attention as a promising recovery technology, especially for post-consumer plastic waste. It is seen as a complementary solution to mechanical recycling, being better suited for difficult to recycle plastics like multi-layer solutions or heavily contaminated plastics. Yet, its availability at commercial scale is currently still [...] European Bioplastics News · 18 Apr 2023 Global EN 13432 certified bioplastics performance in industrial composting Open the document The Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWD) was first issued in 1994. Its main purpose was to increase the recovery rate of packaging waste and to cut disposal (landfilling). Apart from mechanical recycling also biological (organic) recycling was defined, and a specific standard for identifying "packaging recoverable by means [...] European Bioplastics News · 18 Apr 2023 Global Mechanical Recycling Open the document Mechanical Recycling is currently the dominant recycling technique for post-consumer plastic packaging waste. Sorting and reprocessing technologies are available in most EU Member States with varying levels of recycling quotas. EU waste legislation requires binding recycling targets in the future. Recycling biobased plastics increases the fossil carbon reduction potential by [… European Bioplastics News · 18 Apr 2023 Global Anaerobic digestion Open the document Anaerobic digestion is a process in which organic matter is degraded by a microbial population of bacteria in the absence of oxygen. This process produces methane and carbon dioxide (biogas) and compost . During the process, no heat is being released. The resulting biogas can be treated in a Combined Heat [...] European Bioplastics News · 18 Apr 2023 Global LEAK: Sweden proposes further weakening of construction product rules ENDS Europe – 18 April 2023 – In a joint letter published today, environmental and industry groups have called on the Council and MEPs to strengthen the CPR by setting “EU-level requirements on key environmental indicators”, a “structured, participative and evidence-based process” for setting new standards modelled on EU ecodesign rules, and introducing green public […] FEAD (European Waste Management Association) · 18 Apr 2023 Global Landfilling Open the document In the EU waste hierarchy, disposal (i.e. landfill and similar operations) ranks as the least preferable way of waste management. Read this paper and learn about: Description of technology Current distribution Legal and political framework Interactions between bioplastics and landfilling European Bioplastics News · 18 Apr 2023 Global “Oxo-biodegradable” plastics and other plastics with additives for degradation Open the document Bioplastics are a broad family of materials that are either biobased, biodegradable, or both. The term “biobased” describes the basis of a material being fully or partly derived from biomass. The term “biodegradable” refers to the inherent property of a material that, with the help of naturally occurring microorganisms such [...] European Bioplastics News · 18 Apr 2023 Global Organizaciones civiles presentan plataforma sobre el Colonialismo de la basura plástica y su uso como combustible en México Ciudad de México, 17 de abril, 2023. La Colectiva Malditos Plásticos (Acción Ecológica, Asociación Ecológica Santo Tomás, Fronteras Comunes), Geocomunes, Geografía Septentrional, No Es Basura (NEB), la Alianza Global para […] GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives) · 17 Apr 2023 Global Discovering the potential of Waste to Energy for Climate change mitigation Welcome to the next chapter of our journey through the positive societal benefits of Waste-to-Energy! Let’s see together the European... ESWET (European Suppliers of Waste-to-Energy Technology) · 17 Apr 2023 Global End-of-life for soil-biodegradable mulch films Find out how to ensure the best results in terms of performance of soil-biodegradable mulch films.​ European Bioplastics News · 17 Apr 2023 Global Industrial emissions portal: is pollution prevention ready for the digital age? Industry must follow environmental rules – but do we truly know how they are doing? Environmental performance reporting is outdated and ineffective. However, the Industrial Emissions Portal Regulation can be the solution. The new portal is key to cutting the administrative burden and throwing pollution prevention tools into the digital age. Maria Luís Fernandes and Christian Schaible report. Cl… META (European Environmental Bureau) · 17 Apr 2023 Global Safeguarding Internal Market Legal Basis of Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is key FEVE (European Container Glass Federation) · 17 Apr 2023 Global Guest Blog: ISWA YPG Germany Visit to Hamburg’s Energy Hill ISWA (International Solid Waste Association) · 15 Apr 2023 Global Member in Spotlight: BFFP Europe’s Mindfulness Circle Tell us about the mindfulness circle: When was it set up, what is its aim, what do you do? Hi everyone! We are Myrto, Caroline and Suze and together we host the BFFP Mindfulness Circle. In 2021, we participated in the Resilient Mindset Programme that was offered to BFFP by Robert H. N. Ho Family […] Break Free From Plastic · 13 Apr 2023 Global How MEPs can make fashion more accountable in 2023 This article was originally published on wardrobe change.eu. The EU is consuming as if we had three planets. And after food, housing and transport, textile products are the fourth largest source of environmental pressure. 675 million tonnes of materials are used every year to produce clothing, footwear and household textiles for the EU market. Globally, 73% of all textiles end up in landfill or… META (European Environmental Bureau) · 13 Apr 2023 Global More institutional support for ambitious air quality laws With the future of Europeans’ health in the balance, support for stronger air quality laws can help to prevent the severe and varied consequences of air pollution. On 22 February, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted its official position on the revision of the EU Ambient Air Quality Directives (AAQD), calling for more ambitious and effective air quality laws to combat the … META (European Environmental Bureau) · 12 Apr 2023 Global Joint letter: Carbon Capture and Utilisation in the EU Net Zero Industry Act This Joint letter has been co-signed by different European associations and confederations to stress the strategic net zero potential of... ESWET (European Suppliers of Waste-to-Energy Technology) · 12 Apr 2023