UK recovered paper and card exporters have taken steps to meet tougher quality requirements from Chinese buyers, but have seen a substantial drop in demand for material, MPs heard yesterday (30 January).
The claim came from the chief executive of the Recycling Association, Craig Curtis, as the Environmental Audit Committee heard evidence from board members of five associations for its inquiry into the China’s restrictions on the import of foreign waste.
Craig Curtis (right) explained that demand has dropped by 40% for some materials
When quizzed by the Committee’s chair, the Labour MP Mary Creagh, on the current climate for cardboard recyclers, Mr Curtis said: “Our members have all put in place methods and different ways of working that mean we can hit the target [of no more than 0.5% contamination in loads], for cardboard in particular, we can meet it. Most agree that if it has to be 99.5% pure then it can be.”
On whether this quality requirement is realistic, he said: “That’s practically happening. If there are orders for 99.5% there is material there. However, there is currently enough material for the orders at the moment, but the orders are falling greatly. Currently orders have dropped in tonnage by 40%.”
Mr Curtis warned that the future award of import licenses is likely to be under further scrutiny and could depend on an individual mill’s performance, as all imports will be checked by port officials for quality. He added: “If any mills are found to be importing sub-standard material it will impact their license, and this is creating uncertainty.”
Weight-based
Mr Curtis gave evidence in the hearing alongside Ray Georgeson of the Resource Association, Pat Jennings of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), Lee Marshall of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) and Jacob Hayler of the Environmental Services Association.
All of the representatives voiced their approval for comments made by the resources minister Thérèse Coffey last month, suggesting that the UK could look to move from recycling targets based upon the weight of material captured to resource efficiency.
Dr Coffey was speaking in front of the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Committee, which followed on from the committee’s roundtable discussion in November (see letsrecycle.com story).
Ray Georgeson, chief executive of the Resource Association, said that recently there have been some positive signs coming from Defra on policy and the Environment Agency on regulation, but key developments will come in the coming months.
He said: ”The test is now in the strategy development. How seriously does it incorporate the concept of a circular economy and address the viability of a weight based target, the impact of carbon, residual waste per capita etc. There are lots of other ways to measure our success that are better, and we all agree on that.”
Coffey
Yesterday’s meeting was the first public hearing examining evidence and witnesses for the Committee’s inquiry into China’s restrictions on the import of foreign waste. Recycling minister Dr Thérèse Coffey, will submit evidence today.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Packaging
