News
Transfrontier waste shipments continue to rise
13.11.2012 - Member states of the EU have significantly raised transboundary shipments of both hazardous and non-hazardous wastes between 2001 and 2009. There was only a temporary decrease in movements in 2008/09 
more - Member states of the EU have significantly raised transboundary shipments of both hazardous and non-hazardous wastes between 2001 and 2009. There was only a temporary decrease in movements in 2008/09 which was likely due to the financial crisis, according to a report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) last week.The increase in cross-border trade of non-hazardous wastes can be considered an indication that these wastes are "increasingly regarded as valuable resources that are traded globally in a similar manner to virgin materials", according to the report. "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," commented EEA executive director Jacqueline McGlade. "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." The report "Movements of waste across the EU's internal and external borders" was drawn up by the EEA in reaction to a request from the European Parliament's Environment Committee for an overview.
Germany and Netherlands test eletronic transfer of waste shipment documents
05.11.2012 - NGS, the statutory hazardous waste broker of the north German state of Lower Saxony, has begun a pilot project using electronic records for transboundary waste shipments with Dutch authority Agentschap NL. more - NGS, the statutory hazardous waste broker of the north German state of Lower Saxony, has begun a pilot project on the use of electronic records for transboundary waste shipments together with the Dutch competent authority Agentschap NL. As part of the "eTFS" (electronic Transfrontier Shipment) project, all notification and accompanying documents can be transferred electronically with a qualified electronic signature between the two agencies. According to the NGS, the project is the first to test the exchange of large volumes of electronic waste record data for transboundary waste shipments between states under field conditions. "With the project, we hope to contribute to reducing the bureaucracy in international waste shipments without restricting the efficiency of monitoring," said the NGS's managing director, Jochen Schulze-Rickmann.
Sims predicts AUD521m loss for fiscal year 2012
16.08.2012 - Global scrap recycling group Sims Metal Management anticipates a net loss after tax of around AUD521m (ca. €437m) for the financial year ended 30 June, based on unaudited figures. more - Global scrap recycling group Sims Metal Management anticipates a net loss after tax of around AUD521m (ca. €437m) for the financial year ended 30 June, based on unaudited figures. In a market update released on Wednesday, the concern attributed the loss to a non-cash goodwill impairment of AUD594m, which it took in the first half of the year, but noted that results had also been adversely affected "by difficult operating conditions particularly in North America". The company put underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) before significant items at AUD253m (ca. €216m), down sharply from last year's figure of AUD432m. Sims Metal Management is due to release its final results of the past financial year on 23 August 2012.
Additional cost reductions for Suez Environnement’s waste operations
02.08.2012 - French environmental services group Suez Environnement has decided to raise the cost reduction target for its European waste management activities by a further €40m and to cut investment expenditure by €100m. more - French environmental services group Suez Environnement has decided to raise the cost reduction target for its European waste management activities by a further €40m and to cut its net investment expenditure by €100m. This is a response to a 3 per cent drop in the amount of waste treated by the division in the first half of 2012 amid declining industrial production and a “more difficult macroeconomic context” in Europe, the company said on Wednesday at the presentation of its first half results. The European waste management division, which includes the Sita Group, recorded a 2 per cent increase in revenues to €3.272bn during the first six months of the year. However, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) were down 14 per cent, having decreased from €440m in the first half of 2011 to €378m.
Recovered paper prices in France yield further
25.07.2012 - French prices for ordinary recovered paper grades continued their downward slide in July, even though in some cases the export business had picked up noticeably. Merchants and buyers reported that more - French prices for ordinary recovered paper grades continued their downward slide in July, even though in some cases the export business had picked up noticeably. Merchants and buyers reported that prices for board grades fell by €10-20/t, with most insiders reporting cuts of 10-15/t.All in all, merchants said demand from their domestic customers was average to slim. A few sectors of the French economy are experiencing a phase of weakness, with business for recovered paper consuming paper producers reportedly average at best.
European PET collection rate reaches 51 per cent
17.07.2012 - Around 1.59 million tonnes of discarded PET bottles were collected in Europe for recycling in 2011, some 140,000 tonnes more than in 2010. According to Petcore, the colections represented 51.0 per cent of the more - Around 1.59 million tonnes of discarded PET bottles were collected in Europe for recycling in 2011, some 140,000 tonnes more than in 2010. According to the organisation PET Container Recycling Europe (Petcore), last year's collection volume represented 51.0 per cent of the bottles brought onto the market for the year (2010: 48.3).Petcore and the European Plastics Recyclers (EuPR) reported that 50 per cent of recycled PET was used to manufacture new bottles or other packaging. The use of PET flakes for fibre production held at 39 per cent, while the market for strapping recovered slightly. Around 100,000 tonnes of r-PET were used in strapping applications.For the third year in a row, the volume of PET bales to the Far East declined. The chairman of EuPR's PET Wroking Group, Casper van den Dungen, noted that European recycling plants had also only operated at 77 per cent of capacity last year (2010: 79 per cent).
German recovered paper prices may bottom out after latest drops
11.07.2012 - German Paper mills once again achieved price cuts for bulk grades in July. While demand for mixed paper is quite good, supermarket paper and board is less sought-after and only small volumes are being exported more - Paper mills once again achieved price cuts for bulk grades in July. While demand for mixed paper is reportedly quite good, supermarket paper and board is less sought-after. Only small volumes are being sold in export markets, but respondents report observing some signs of recovery. The availability of containers remains a problem even though the situation improved slightly in June. Most market participants are of the opinion that prices have finally hit bottom after the latest price drop, but there are others who believe that prices might quite possibly slip further. The expected decrease in recovered paper collection volumes in the summer months and decent demand from paper mills are named among the reasons for the end to the price slide.
Volund preferred supplier for wte plant in Gloucestershire
06.07.2012 - The Danish plant engineering company Babcock & Wilcox Volund A/S is to build the waste to energy plant planned for Gloucestershire county in the UK. According to the plant builder, it has been named preferred more - The Danish plant engineering company Babcock & Wilcox Volund A/S is to build the waste to energy plant planned for Gloucestershire county in the UK. According to the plant builder, it has been named preferred supplier by the consortium Urbaser and Balfour Beatty that are to operate the plant under a 25-year contract with the county.The 18MW plant has a design capacity of 185,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste, with a maximum capacity of 26.3 tonnes per hour. The plant is slated to go online at the end of 2015.
PV Cycle to open offices in Germany and Italy
28.06.2012 - The European take-back organisation for end-of-life solar modules PV Cycle plans to open regional offices in Germany and Italy. The organisation, which is headquartered in Belgium, said on Tuesday more - The European take-back organisation for end-of-life solar modules PV Cycle plans to open regional offices in Germany and Italy. The organisation, which is headquartered in Belgium, said on Tuesday that the move came in response to increasing business in these countries and would facilitate cooperation with its local partners."With the decision to establish its first regional offices in Europe’s leading PV markets, PV CYCLE – the pan-European take-back and recycling scheme for all photovoltaic (PV) tech-nologies – took an important step forward in enhancing its national presence in these coun-tries and ability to respond to regional circumstances," said PV Cycle.Both the German solar energy association BSW-Solar and the Italian PV industry group Con-findustria ANIE/GIFI welcomed PV Cycle's decision.
Council approves recast of EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Waste Directive
13.06.2012 - At their Council meeting at the end of last week, the interior and justice ministers of the EU member countries approved a compromise negotiated in late December 2011 for revising the EU Waste Electrical more - At their Council meeting at the end of last week, the interior and justice ministers of the EU member countries approved a compromise negotiated in late December 2011 for revising the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. As the European Parliament had voted in January in favour of adopting the compromise, the second reading of the proposed Directive is now concluded. Publication in the EU Official Journal is expected soon with entry into force to occur 20 days thereafter. Member states then have 18 months to transpose its provisions into national law and to start applying them.The amended Directive aims to raise e-scrap collection volumes, increase recycling and reuse rates as well as reduce waste arisings, the Environment Council announced. In addition, the revised rules seek to limit illegal WEEE exports and minimise the adverse environmental effects of electrical and electronic scrap.
Source: Euwid
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