Changes in the composition of household waste and uncertainty over employment laws in the wake of Brexit will force materials recycling facility (MRF) operators to become more versatile, industry experts have said.
This was the message from speakers at the MRF Best Practice Conference in Birmingham yesterday (7 December), where delegates gathered to debate the latest developments in the sector.
(l-r): Jakob Rindegren, ESA recycling policy advisor, Joseph Doherty ReGen Waste director and Claudia Amos, Anthesis associate director
The discussion focused on the increasing expectation of quality in MRF outputs in a market which is becoming increasingly competitive and where there is a greater emphasis on capturing “target” material.
Speaking in the first session of the conference on policy and regulation, Joseph Doherty, director of ReGen Waste in Northern Ireland, voiced his concerns over the changing nature of product packaging and the impact this has on the composition of household waste.
Data
He was speaking alongside Claudia Amos, associate director of Anthesis, and Jakob Rindegren, recycling policy advisor at the Environmental Services Association, who both discussed the capture of data on the quality of recycling inputs and outputs at MRFs.
Mr Doherty said: “We all need to invest in optical sorting, especially with Brexit coming along. News and pams are down to 40% in the commingled mix, which means more plastics and packaging processing. Amazon is going to change [the way they package products] and we have to be ready, so as to make sure we don’t invest wrong and come to depend on a single material stream.”
Mr Doherty added that with “no standardisation in the market” it is difficult for MRF operators to adapt to particular household waste streams. While he said that this responsibility “starts with local authorities” he added it would be a “utopia to think everyone is going to be the same”.
Revenue
Ms Amos added: “I think the variety of material is essential to manage your output and revenue streams. Can I do something with fines? Can I put a small scale EfW at the end of my plant? That is where MRF operators could be creative.”
Luc Mallinger, sales manager at MRF equipment installation firm Bollegraaf UK, similarly focused on changes in waste composition during his presentation on process optimisation in the second session of the conference. He said: “Newspapers are disappearing, everyone is using smartphones and e-readers. So looking at the way packaging evolves is very important.
“For packaging producers recycling is not the top of their priority list, they just want the product to look good. If you are building a MRF it’s good to anticipate markets in the future. Be versatile.”
Nigel Oseman from Hope for Justice spoke about the impact of modern slavery
Workforce
Speakers also discussed the impact of the UK’s decision to leave the EU – which some said has cast uncertainty over future employment regulation and the potential impact this could have on MRF operators.
Kevin Thomas, managing director at Smart Solutions, spoke to delegates about the challenges involved in sourcing labour on MRF picking lines as well as the impact of the introduction of the National Living Wage in April this year.
On fresh challenges, he talked about the ‘hidden challenges’ presented by the illegal human trafficking trade on the waste industry.
Nigel Oseman, lead trainer and investigator from the anti-trafficking charity Hope for Justice, which is working in partnership with the company, warned that amendments to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act mean that employers are now more accountable for the safety and wellbeing of their workforce.
The post MRF operators urged to be ‘versatile’ in wake of Brexit appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Packaging
