Monday 21st April 2008
CRR Welcomes EU Framework Directive Material Separation
The Campaign for Real Recycling today welcomed proposals from MEPs on separate collections for different materials. The European Parliament Environment Committee met last Tuesday to dicuss and vote on the Waste Framework Directive.
Andy Moore, campaign coordinator, said: “We applaud the recycling targets set by MEPs and are particularly pleased that the framework includes separate collections for different materials. This is the way to guarantee quality and maximise material recovery at the same time. It also makes good commercial sense at a time of improving markets and sends the right signals to investors who want to know that clean feedstock will be forthcoming.”
On the other hand, the CRR was disappointed at the vote by the Environment Committee which means incineration will be classed as recovery rather than disposal. Andy Moore continued: “This is also a quality issue. Hierarchy proposals notwithstanding, a legitimising of incineration as recovery could mean poorer sorting standards and the premature writing of off chunks of valuable material as residue worth only its calories. Neither does it make much sense in carbon terms: incineration with energy recovery only recovers a fraction of the embodied energy of the materials.”
Information for Editors:
1. The Campaign for Real Recycling wants central government and local authorities to act urgently to improve the quality of materials collected for recycling in the UK. Real recycling is about maximising the economic, environmental and social benefits of recycling for everyone, from the local council tax payer to the global re-processing industry. Our concern is that collection systems that gather a range of different materials in one bag or bin and then compact them could permanently undermine the environmental and financial benefits of recycling. Our campaign aims to influence local authority policy and practice, and build consensus within the UK of the economic and environmental importance of highly separated collections.
2. Campaign for Real Recycling supporters include:
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