UK plastics recycler Axion Polymers has claimed that adopting Norway’s proposal to amend a global agreement on rules for exporting mixed plastic waste would benefit European plastics recyclers and lead to more investment in infrastructure.
Axion has welcomed the proposed changes to the Basel Convention that would set strict quality specifications about exports, as it would force the UK to take responsibility for its own plastic waste.
The Basel Convention has 187 signatory countries, including the UK, that have signed up to legislation governing the classification and export of hazardous wastes around the world, but individual countries can dictate their own rules for the classification of waste for import purposes.
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Last year Norway put forward an amendment to the B3010 ‘Green List’, to restrict shipments to higher-quality, single polymer materials.
B3010 dictates what types of plastics can be exported and there are stringent rules around material specification to be included on the list.
Any mixed plastics bales that fail to meet the strict B3010 quality standard will automatically fall under a system of ‘pre-informed consent’ and be managed in a similar way to hazardous waste shipments.
The amendment would mean that bales of rigid plastics would no longer be acceptable for widespread export.
If the Norway proposal is adopted by the Basel Conference of the Parties at the end of April, it will become law within six months and signatories will have to enact their own laws by the end of the year.
Keith Freegard, Associate Consultant for Axion, said: “It will clean up waste packaging flows, a major cause of ocean plastics, by setting strict quality specifications for exports and clearly put pressure on the waste and recycling sector to raise processing standards.”
“The best place to get a sustainable, resource-efficient and low-risk supply is from our own recycling structure. And that means delivering good quality material back to the packaging producers. Money raised from PRN reforms should be invested in the recycling infrastructure to ensure it delivers the quality of material required.”
Laura Smith, Commercial Operations Manager for Axion, said: “Industry has to embrace these changes. We need to get the changes right, robust and for the long-term, ensuring a level playing field for all. They will be part of a package that delivers a UK home-based, secure circular economy.”