WASTE PLASTICS RECYCLING A GOOD PRACTICES GUIDE

BY AND FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL AUTHORITIES

Limiting greenhouse gases emissions

In view of the application of the Kyoto Protocol and the general wish to reduce the impact of
society upon the climate, it is important to consider the global environmental aspects of waste
management.
When compared with the processes of producing virgin resins, recycling processes produce less CO2.
A study for the European Commission15 provides some figures for these savings.
Figure 3: CO2 emissions for virgin and recycled HDPE

Other environmental arguments and conditions to reach environmentally sound recycling are
developed in the review of LCAs, presented in Annex 1.

Economic aspects
Creating employment
Recycling can be an opportunity to create local jobs in collection, sorting, communications, administration and reprocessing. The reprocessing can be undertaken locally, regionally or beyond, and
consequently the positive economic aspects of increased employment can be local or dispersed
further a field. Job creation obviously brings many positive social effects.
According to the German waste packaging recovery organisation, DSD, 170,000 jobs (or two jobs
per 1,000 inhabitants) were created in Germany through the introduction of the selective
collection and sorting system.
A UK study made in 2002 by ReMaDe Kernow16 estimated there are enough plastics in the Cornwall
to create 150 jobs and boost the economy by 23.5 millions. Compared with the Cornish population
(470,000 inhabitants), the potential of job creation is one job per 3,100 inhabitants and the potential
of economical benefits for the region is 50/inhabitant.
The results of a UK research project, funded by London Remade (2003), into the number of jobs
created through recycling, found that the recycling of PET bottles, creates the highest number of
potential jobs compared with processing other recyclable materials.

15- " Waste Management Options and Climate Change " - Final report to the European Commission, DG Environment A. Smith et al. July 2001
Source: Plastics material specific strategic business plan prepared for Remade Kernow (May 2002)
16- http://www.remadekernow.co.uk/plastics_report.pdf

19

WASTE PLASTICS RECYCLING A GOOD PRACTICES GUIDE

BY AND FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL AUTHORITIES

Reducing waste treatment costs

Waste plastics recycling can help reduce waste treatment costs in two ways. During the last decade,
European obligations to control the environmental impacts of waste incinerators (Directive
2000/76/CE) and landfills (Directive 1999/31/CE) have led to an increase in the costs of these waste
management options. These costs will increase as tighter controls are introduced and as taxes on
landfill (and incineration) escalate, further stimulating recycling.
According to a study by Juniper Consultancy for ASSURRE (European Incineration Profile 2000),
costs of incineration in Europe rose significant during the 1990s, from a normalised level of 100 in
1993 to 114 in 1995, 132 in 1997 and 141 in 1999. The same study reported costs, or gate-fees,
ranging between 25160 per tonne (in Spain and Germany, respectively) with an average across
Europe of 75 per tonne.
This is not to say that plastics recycling will remove the need for incineration or other forms of energy
recovery. These technologies will inevitably be required for the fraction of plastics that cannot be
recycled.
NAMUR
The Province of Namur in Belgium collects agricultural films through a voluntary drop-off
system. The Province must pay recyclers 60/t for washing and grinding the collected films.
This compares with the average cost of the incineration in Belgium of 83/t.

Social aspects
The Nimby reaction
As has been mentioned earlier, householders often express enthusiasm for recycling, and are keen
to participate in selective collection schemes (though their actual participation often falls short of
initial aspirations).
The introduction of an intensive recycling strategy can avoid the need of new or additional
incineration or landfill capacity. The setting up of such facilities is a challenge for the public authorities,
which will inevitably face some degree of Nimby phenomenon, although this can be mitigated
through effective, sustained public communications. However, in many cases recycling costs are
higher than incineration, hence the cost for the citizen will go up.
Environmental awareness of the population
The introduction of recycling programmes will heighten public environmental awareness.
As a consequence, a significant fraction of population feels motivated to participate in schemes
where they are offered. There often follows an increased demand with local elected representatives
targeted - to improve and extend the existing services to a wider variety of waste plastics.
This enhanced awareness can be linked beneficially to plastics in general, improving the image of
these materials (which are often associated with wastage, the throw-away society and litter).
In addition, including plastics in multi-material collection schemes can raise the overall amount of
materials collected from kerbside collection schemes by between 20 30 per cent.

20