Editorial
Massimo Medugno, general manager Assocarta
Following the adoption of the new waste legislation in 2018, the Commission is to prepare a number of acts on the calculation and reporting of data concerning the targets for preparing for re-use and recycling of municipal waste, for recycling of packaging waste and for landfilling of municipal waste.
The Commission has also to prepare a delegated act on the rules for the calculation of average loss rates for waste materials that are diverted during preparatory operations following sorting and preceding recycling of waste.
One issue in the discussion before the adoption of the new legislation was the method for calculating the recycling rates for municipal waste and packaging waste.
CEPI, along with other material recyclers and NGO’s had argued in favour of one method, measuring at input to final recycling.
Waste management companies and other stakeholders have argued in favour of measuring at sorting.
Finally, the directive stipulates Member States to measure at input to recycling.
However, there is a derogation, giving Member States the possibility to measure at output of sorting under certain conditions.
But the principle is fixed!
The paper industry is the recycler of the paper for recycling!.
Now it’s need to estimate the “delta” between output of sorting and “real” recycling in the paper mill.
The paper industry has an interest that these loss rates reflect the losses caused by non-paper components as a result of collection and sorting practices.
But a great result has already been achieved: the recognition that there is no recycling without paper industry!