Antton Azkona: "Waste is new mines of the future and of the present"
Antton Azkona: "Waste is new mines of the future and of the present"
Who met at that Recycling Forum?
The forum was attended by 15 industrial sectors, mainly recycling (steel, plastic, paper, glass, etc.) and also those engaged in manufacturing (cars, batteries, construction). Environmental and industrial representatives of the Member States of the European Commission and various environmental non-governmental groups were also present.
Is it a significant recycling industry in Europe?
Yes, of course, I would say that the recycling industry is almost entirely today, for example, 50% of the iron produced and 43% of other metals (i.e., copper, nickel or aluminum) is on average recycled. In the case of paper the figures are higher than 50%. And the same for glass. Plastics, tyres or oils and similar products are left behind by technical and economic problems. However, recycling is currently extended to virtually all industrial sectors. The recycling industry competes directly with unused raw materials and is to some extent replacing them. Waste is the new mines of the future and the present.
And is it competitive?
We discussed this at the Recycling Forum on the competitiveness of this industry. It is clear that what is not competitive in the current system will not advance and the recycling industry is no exception. But why is it not competitive? Or why are there sectors and others not? That is the key, to analyze all this. In this case we have clearly seen that there are two types of recycling industries. On the one hand there are those who are already competitive, created by market forces, that is, out of that need to preserve the environment. In this group are iron and other metals, as well as paper and glass. The first two work autonomously, but the last two, despite being competitive, need a public participation, that is, they must be collected, transported and distributed and for this need the collaboration of municipalities. Below are the sectors of construction, plastics and used oil, with all kinds of difficulties. They have problems collecting, distributing materials or applying technology and, above them, market problems. Recycling is not enough, then we have to sell it. The latter are the emerging sectors in materials recycling.
Regarding competitiveness, the forum has made several proposals in this regard. Would you summarize it?
The main weakness of emerging sectors is the collection systems in which administrations and citizens must collaborate. On the other hand, the distribution of mixed materials also presents great drawbacks. Sometimes there is technology to do it, but always the best thing is that everyone distributes it at home, and for this, of course, you have to put the proper infrastructure. In short, the forum aims to increase public participation in waste collection and distribution. On the other hand, recycled products from these sectors have a quality problem and it is necessary to break that image. Finally, standardization is very important, that is, the fixation of the function of recycled raw material with certain properties. They have already started with plastic and start with rubber (tires). In addition to this, it has been proposed to introduce legislative changes, as is the case of the industrial sectors that have participated in the forum, in which a greater imposition on landfills has been requested. Thus, if the transfer of waste to landfill is expensive, the tendency to recycle it increases. In countries such as the Netherlands and Germany, for example, these measures were initiated, making landfill deposits of recyclable materials prohibited today.
Proposals of all kinds, right?
Yes, we discussed it a lot. Research and development efforts are proposed for the development of material distribution technology. The electronic battery separation system with mercury and without mercury has just been completed, for example. There was talk of the reduction of VAT of the product that will be recycled from the economic point of view (it is made in France and Spain) and that all the products sold contain a minimum percentage of recycled raw material. The final proposal was not accepted because it was too hard and did not serve the market. On the other hand, he promised that the designs of the products will be recycled, that is, when built by car, the smallest possible number of materials will be mixed and all of them correctly identified. Another important topic discussed was the need to implement certification systems such as the ISO, as well as to put means for the exchange of information: the collection of the supply of raw materials, prices, etc. (maybe on the Internet).
In such a broad forum, there would certainly be many conflicting opinions. What was the climate and attitude of the negotiations like?
It is clear that everyone has their interests and we all had to work a lot. Differences between industrial sectors are important. Those who are well established, like the metal sector, do not want any external participation. These would remove all laws. But those who are now appearing see that need. The Forum tried to adapt the field of recycling to the market, but the 15 sectors collected were not the same and the process was difficult. In addition, the lobbies of miners and forestalists, despite not being present in the forum, exerted pressure on their sector. For example, when the environmental advantages of recycling, energy savings, waste reduction, etc. were analyzed, the aforementioned lobbies did not take into account these mentions in the report.
Did they get it?
No, they didn't.
Were there good results?
Yes, the final report is consensus among all and that is very positive. As a first step, it has been very important and positive, we have fixed what the recycling industry is, why and how it moves and what its defects are and steps have been taken to move it forward. The base is established at least.
In the forum you have concluded that recycling 0% is unacceptable but 100% unsustainable. Where is the balance?
With this theme also the lobby mentioned above exerted great pressure. They say that the new recycled paper cannot compete and that is not true. It is true that recycling has certain limitations. Repeated recycling of fiber to make paper destroys and does not serve the end. There are therefore technical limitations, but we could not determine exactly where they were. Some states will recycle 60% of paper. The main limit of the steel is to recover the money initially established, but once exceeded this limit can be recycled almost 100%. In the case of plastics, on the other hand, it seems that it cannot exceed 15% after a large study. There are great difficulties in the recovery and reuse of monomers. Oil burning is also recyclable
or is more cost-effective, as if burned for energy subsidies are received. We are talking about recycling, but what is the right solution for what cannot be recycled?
If it serves to produce energy, burn and get energy. Environmentalists are often against incineration, but if we do well it is not a bad solution. At the moment, waste that is not suitable for energy production has no choice but to take it to landfills. However, recycling as much as possible will significantly reduce landfills.
How do you assess the tendency to protect the environment by taking economic measures?
In the global world we live in, the economy commands and those instruments must also be used to protect the environment. To some extent it is useful, but it is not a complete solution.
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