Published : Nov 06,
2012 Last modified : Nov 08, 2012 11:13
AM
Waste is increasingly moving across EU borders,
for recovery or disposal. This is true for
waste shipments between EU countries, and
also transfers of waste outside the EU,
according to a new assessment from the European
Environment Agency (EEA).
We should not lose sight
of the bigger picture – in an increasingly
resource-constrained world, Europe needs
to dramatically reduce the amount of waste
it generates in the first place.
EEA Executive Director
Jacqueline McGlade
Increasingly stringent
and harmonised waste policies in the EU
have led countries to transport more waste
material elsewhere, for example if they
do not have the facilities to recycle or
dispose of particular types of waste. There
are increasing demands for recyclable materials,
both within the EU and beyond, particularly
in booming Asian economies.
While trade of hazardous
waste grew between 2001 and 2007, shipped
volumes decreased in 2008 and 2009, probably
due to the economic downturn, according
to the report ‘Movements of waste across
the EU's internal and external borders’.
Exports of waste plastics and metals picked
up again after the economic downturn and
exceeded the pre-2009 levels in 2011.
The international trade
in recyclable material is expected to continue
to grow, the report states, driven by more
recycling, growing global competition for
resources and increasing awareness of the
value of waste. Trade in hazardous waste
is also expected to increase, although the
driver in this case will be the need to
treat waste in specific facilities that
are not available in all countries.
Overall the EU should
put more efforts into waste prevention in
order to become more resource-efficient,
a key element of the EU 2020 growth strategy.
The report recommends encouraging new technologies
and business models that generate less waste,
or waste that is less hazardous.
“European countries
are exporting more waste than ever,” EEA
Executive Director Jacqueline McGlade said.
“The trade in non-hazardous waste can be
seen as largely positive, as material is
often transported to places where it can
be better used. However, we should not lose
sight of the bigger picture – in an increasingly
resource-constrained world, Europe needs
to dramatically reduce the amount of waste
it generates in the first place.”
Non-hazardous waste
Exports of waste iron
and steel, and copper, aluminium and nickel
from Member States doubled between 1999
and 2011, while waste precious metal exports
trebled and waste plastics increased by
a factor of five.
Increasing export volumes
and rising prices are both contributing
to the growing economic importance of waste
exports. The value of scrap iron and steel
exports out of the EU has increased by a
factor of eight between 1999 and 2011 to
€18 billion. Waste copper, aluminium and
nickel exports expanded by a factor of six
and waste precious metals increased by a
factor of 15. The value of annual exports
to Asia has grown at an even greater rate.
Trade in waste wood
has also increased steeply. Since 2003,
EU imports of waste wood have exceeded exports.
Imports of waste wood are primarily driven
by the large demand of the particle board
industry for wood material. Another demand
driver is energy production from solid biomass,
which grew by more than 50 % between 1995
and 2008.
Transporting non-hazardous
waste for recycling can have positive environmental
effects overall, the report notes. Although
transporting the material causes additional
environmental damage and greenhouse gas
emissions, these impacts are often much
less than the environmental impacts of processing
virgin materials.
Hazardous and electronic waste
Exports of hazardous
waste, which may be explosive, flammable,
irritative, toxic or corrosive, grew by
131 % in the period 2000–2009, while the
amount of hazardous waste generated in the
EU increased by 28 % in the same period.
Flows of hazardous waste into the EU countries,
from other EU countries and also from outside
the EU, almost trebled between 2001 and
2009, reaching 8.9 million tonnes (Mt).
Hazardous waste can
include fly ash from incinerators, contaminated
soil, lead batteries, waste mineral oils
and other chemicals. Most hazardous waste
exports stay within the EU, going to neighbouring
countries. The biggest importer of this
material in 2009 was Germany (3 Mt) while
the biggest exporter was the Netherlands
(2.8 Mt). Most of this material is recycled
or used as fuel, although some is still
sent to landfill.
It is illegal to ship
hazardous waste from EU Member States to
countries which are not members of the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD). Old computers, home appliances and
other electronic equipment should be collected
separately under EU legislation.
However, a large volume
of used electrical products are shipped
out of the EU to West Africa and Asia, much
of them falsely classified as ‘used goods’
although in reality they are non-functional.
The report estimates this trade to be at
least 250 000 tonnes every year, possibly
much more. These goods may subsequently
be processed in dangerous and inefficient
conditions, harming the health of local
people and damaging the environment.
The illegal waste trade
seems to be growing, the report says, noting
that the EU needs to intensify and harmonise
inspection activities across the EU to combat
illegal waste transfers.
