In our newsletter 08/2021 we focus on recycling rates and the new law on extended producer responsibility in the easternmost US state. With the new packaging law, this state wants to take on a pioneering role and significantly increase the recycling rates for packaging.
Falling recycling rates are also registered with concern in Germany. Germany is once again failing to meet the collection rates required by the EU, which is why the german DGAW is calling for the establishment of an expert team.
Our neighbours from Austria are also thinking about how to increase the number of batteries collected. To this end, the "Her mit Leer" campaign has been launched.
You can read more details in today's newsletter below.
With best regards, Deutsche Recycling
US state of Maine passes its own packaging law
It took a quarter of a century for Maine's first packaging law to go into force. Maine Governor Janet Mills signed the Extended Producer Responsibility Act (EPR) last week, effectively holding companies accountable for the packaging waste they generate. Nearly a dozen states are now on their way to follow Maine's example.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the US disposed of 82.2 million tons of containers and packaging in 2018, accounting for nearly a third of all household waste.
Expert committee required to revise the german ElektroG and BattG
The German Society for Waste Management (DGAW) sees the orderly take-back of old electrical devices and old batteries in Germany at risk. In a letter to Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) it is said that the developments in the context of the ElektroG and the BattG are viewed with “great irritation”.
Once again, Germany has failed to meet the European target for the collection of old devices, and the recycling targets for old batteries are also on the brink.
Germany had clearly missed the EU minimum target of 65 percent for the collection of old devices in 2019 with a rate of around 44 percent. Current figures from the EAR Foundation also indicate that the quota could not be increased significantly in the past year and that the gap to the collection target is becoming larger rather than smaller.
The collection rate for portable batteries in Germany also fell last year. With a rate of only 45.6 percent in 2020, the systems must therefore noticeably increase their recording performance.
In order to solve the problem, the DGAW calls for the establishment of a group of experts, which collects, analyzes and evaluates international knowledge from science, research and business and compares it with national enforcement. The aim is to provide guidelines and indications for future legal design.
Austria wants to increase the battery recycling rate
Every year in Austria over 1.4 million lithium batteries are thrown into the residual waste instead of in the collection containers actually intended for this purpose in waste material collection centers or in the trade. This is particularly dangerous because even the slightest friction can lead to ignition and fires.
The campaign "Her mit Leer" of the climate protection ministry, the EAK (old electrical equipment coordination center), the professional association for electrical and furnishing retailers (WKO) and the local authority association would like to address this problem. By 2025, the battery recycling rate is to be increased from the current 45 percent to over 65 percent. "Many people do not even know in which devices lithium batteries are built - in this regard, the campaign's educational work is an urgent necessity", says Gabriele Jüly, President of the Association of Austrian Waste Management Companies (VOEB).
Incorrect disposal is dangerous!
The campaign is primarily about the correct disposal of batteries and old electrical appliances (WEEE). “Few of them are aware that with every incorrectly disposed lithium battery, they endanger human life. Because lithium batteries in residual waste lead to fires again and again when they are transported away or in the systems - especially now in summer, the fire hazard and thus the risk for our employees is particularly high, ”adds Jüly.
Feedback
To ensure that you continue to receive an informative and appealing newsletter in the future, we look forward to your feedback. Please feel free to send me an email with your comments and suggestions for improvement.
.png?upscale=true&width=400&upscale=true&name=Carlos%20(1).png)
