Mandatory separate collection systems for the main recyclable material streams and biowaste should be established in all EU member states, says a study published by the European Commission (EC) last week (20 January).

The study, ‘Assessment of separate collection schemes in the 28 capitals of the EU’, was led by the Copenhagen Resource Institute and German consultancy BiPRO and assessed the legislation and practice of separate collection systems for waste across the 28 EU member states.

Separate collection of individual waste fractions, the report states, is seen as a ‘pre-condition for fostering high-quality recycling and high recycling rates’. As part of the revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD), member states were required to have set up separate collection systems for ‘at least’ paper, metal, plastic and glass by 2015.

The study focused on the legal framework and practical implementation of separate collection systems for metal, plastic, glass, paper and biowaste, assessing each of the national frameworks in place across the EU-28, as well as analysing systems applied in EU-28 capital cities.

The report is to be presented in Brussels on Friday (29 January), with speeches by Kęstutis Sadauskas, Director of the Green Economy Directorate at the Directorate-General for Environment and Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for the Environment Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, as well as seminars on the systems of several cities highlighted in the report.

Findings

The study’s report concludes that countries that have introduced mandatory separate collection of certain municipal waste fractions have high municipal waste recycling levels. Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) alone, it says, can contribute to the achievement of targets in the Landfill Directive, but is not enough to achieve the 50 per cent recycling target.

It adds that two-stream co-mingled collection (for example mixing plastics and metals) is a ‘reasonable way to reduce costs and maintain good material quality’, but that when several fractions are mixed together, a higher incidence of cross-contamination, a lower quality of recyclables and high rejection rates result.

Finally, the report finds that where separate collection of biodegradables is included in the kerbside system, the overall sorting of dry recyclables increases.

Analysis of member state systems

According to the report, bring-point systems are common in many member states, especially for glass, while separate kerbside collections for paper and bio-waste are part of the primary collection system (the one that most inhabitants are connected to) in 14 member states. Separate glass collections take place in seven, while plastic (four) and metal (three) are less common. Plastics and metals are often co-mingled in kerbside collection systems, being predominantly collected as such in nine member states,

The UK is one of three member states to collect three fractions in one collection as part of the system that the largest proportion of residents receives (the report acknowledges that identifying countries’ primary collection systems is ‘not an easy task’, as systems vary at regional and municipal levels in most states). While Romania and Montenegro collect paper, plastic and metal, the report states that the largest proportion of UK residents co-mingle plastic, metal and glass together. Greece and Ireland are the only two states that collect all four of the main material fractions in one bin.

When studying the individual systems of EU capitals, the report notes that in the seven cities that employ pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) scheme for residual waste (Berlin, Budapest, Dublin, Helsinki, Ljubljana, Tallinn and Vienna) the average collection of separate collected waste is 35 per cent of the generated MSW, while those with a flat rate have an average of 17 per cent.

Recommendations

After using a number of indicators to find the five best performing EU capital cities (Ljubljana, Helsinki, Tallinn, Dublin and Vienna) for separate collection, the report notes a number of common traits. These include:

• the implementation of a PAYT system based on residual waste that cross-finances the collection of recyclables;
• ‘smartly’ combined municipality and producer responsibility schemes;
• a fee system setting the minimum standard for the collection of biowaste; and
• clear communication with households.

It therefore finishes with with five conclusions and recommendations addressing the different levels of the decision-making processes.

Governments, the report states, should:

• introduce mandatory separate collection systems for certain municipal waste fractions or mandatory separate collection of biowaste;
• introduce clear definitions of what is meant by separate collection in the national legislation and refer to high-quality recycling and treatment standards;
• define what is meant by high-quality standards, elaborate treatment standards and apply them;
• invest wisely in MBT and only in connection with the introduction of separate collection systems; and
• reconsider the necessity of investing/installing incinerators for mixed municipal waste. Experience from cities showed that by investing the money in separate collection infrastructure and campaigns instead, the amount of mixed municipal waste destined for incineration can decrease quickly, decreasing the demand for incineration.

The report also concludes that the EC should clarify the calculation, measurement and counting methods for reporting on generation of municipal solid waste, household waste and its recycling.

Local needs

Commenting on the report, the Environmental Services Association’s Europe Policy Advisor Roy Hathaway said: “As the report states, separate collection of recyclable waste paper, metal, plastic and glass is a legal requirement except where it has been shown not to be technically, economically or environmentally practicable (TEEP), or where it is not necessary to ensure waste is recovered.

"So far as household waste is concerned, it is for local authorities to decide how best to meet this legal requirement in their respective areas, taking account of all relevant local circumstances and the overall objective of increasing the quantity and quality of materials recycled.

"ESA member companies will continue to work with local authorities to deliver recycling services tailored to local needs.”

UK’s ‘peculiar’ aversion to separate collection

Echoing earlier statements from EC officials, the report notes that ‘in the United Kingdom there is still a great controversy’ over co-mingling, where the practice is widespread. The report summarises previous papers from organisations including the Resource Association and Friends of the Earth that highlight the drawbacks of co-mingling, but notes that ‘co-mingled collection of two or three materials might have some advantages’, citing research from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Speaking at September’s RWM Conference, former Director-General for Environment at the EC Karl Falkenberg called the British aversion to separate recycling ‘peculiar’.

Falkenberg was speaking to give an update on the now-released Circular Economy Package, and was addressing the different levels of intervention needed in various member states when he criticised the UK’s attitude towards recycling collection and waste disposal.

He said: “All of Europe minus the UK tells me – industry, NGOs, academics – tells me that separate collection is key. In the UK there is the approach that we can collect co-mingled waste as effectively as separate waste. It’s a very peculiar approach.

“It’s not for me to say how it is done, what I would like to see is the outcome, and at the moment the UK is recycling considerably less than many of the separate collection systems on the continent, and the UK is still putting 37 per cent of municipal waste into landfills, when others are at zero.”

The full ‘Assessment of separate collection schemes in the 28 capitals of the EU’ report is available to download from the European Commission’s website.