Weekly Bulletin on Circular Waste Management in Africa and OECD countries. # 40-2024

South Africa

Waste pickers call on companies to pay up on service fees. More to read: https://www.iol.co.za/news/environment/no-to-slave-wage-waste-pickers-call-on-companies-to-pay-up-on-service-fees-8ae6aca1-2ce4-483a-b877-009c5bf8b7d7?s=09#google_vignette

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Statement by Minister Dion AT THE Closing session of G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministers Meeting. More to read: https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-dion-george-closing-session-g20-environment-and-climate-sustainability

France

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·the Sustainability Club published a plea for strengthening the tax levers for the circular economy. Entitled "Circular taxation: a lever for a sustainable economy", aimed at public and private decision-makers, and proposes concrete solutions to transform the current tax framework into a real driver of the circular economy",. The Club which brings together some forty players at the initiative of Stop to programmed obsolescence, notes that recent legislative and regulatory advances have not been accompanied by tax incentives to encourage the emergence of a sustainable and circular offer. Above all,?"penalizing measures in force?(...)?are slowing down the adoption of the circular economy".?The Club sees these as?"systemic barriers that hinder?[the adoption of circular models. To address this, the guide makes a series of?"policy recommendations".?The first is the introduction of a bonus-malus system based on life cycle assessment (LCA), in order to?"steer the market towards more sustainable production and consumption by internalising environmental costs".?This would involve a framework for the implementation of sector-specific LCAs and a regulatory and fiscal overhaul to launch the bonus-malus. Of course, the application of a reduced VAT of 5.5% on repair activities is requested.?The European Union authorises it ?and the application could start with an experiment with the repair?of household appliances ,?clothes and shoes ?and?bicycles . Other proposed measures include: integrating environmental considerations, in particular with regard to circularity, into the criteria for the allocation of public aid; overhaul the system of vouchers offered to employees by works councils or companies; or tax advertising according to the ecological footprint of the products and services promoted. More to read: news-44696-guide-fiscalite-club-durabilite.pdf ( actu-environnement.com )

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·Up dated value of indicators, covering the seven pillars of the circular economy, aims to report on the circularity of the French economy. These indicators are detailed here and accompanied, as far as possible, by international comparisons to position France vis-à-vis its European neighbours. ?More to read?: https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/indicateurs-cles-pour-le-suivi-de-leconomie-circulaire

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·The new EU directive on packaging and waste packaging will be adopted; however the French AGEC law includes decisions that go beyond the EU principals: (i) Ban from 2026 on the placing on the market of packaging intended to come into contact with foodstuffs whose content of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) exceeds certain thresholds; (ii)? Obligation to integrate minimum post-consumer recycled raw materials (RPM) for plastic packaging (PET packaging in contact with foodstuffs must contain at least 30% RPM by 2030, while for packaging made from a material other than PET, the percentage is 10) with exceptions for compostable packaging and for packaging whose share of plastic components is less than 5% of the total weight of the packaging. As for the methodology for calculating the integration of MPR and verification, this will be published by the European institutions by 2026; (iii) Obligation to place only recyclable packaging on the market by 2030 (specific eco-design criteria by 2028). More to read: https://www.calameo.com/books/0066635830cee20927aa2

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·Report de l'interdiction des emballages polystyrènes non recyclés au 1er janvier 2025. More to read?: https://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2024/qSEQ240900169.html

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·Almost all PROs have come together in a "collective" and are considering a more formalized structure to represent them. They contest the idea of entrusting the reuse and repair funds to Ademe. They ask to be associated with the definition of the REP objectives. Moreover, the collective deplores "the fragmentation of strategic material flows (plastic, textiles) between sectors, while it harms an efficient industrial recycling strategy in the territories". A way of saying that it would like, at least on certain flows, sectors organized by materials (plastic, textiles, etc.) rather than by products (furniture, clothing, furnishing textiles, etc.), or at the very least better coordination or permeability between the sectors by products. More to read: https://dechets-infos.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CP-Eco-Organismes-Mission-Inspection-juin-2024.pdf

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·The Commission calls on France to correctly transpose the Single-Use Plastics Directive The European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to?France?(INFR(2024)2096)?for failing to correctly transpose the Single-Use Plastics Directive. France has not correctly and completely transposed several provisions of the Directive into national law. ?In particular, the French law does not transpose in a sufficiently clear and precise manner several definitions set out in the Directive, such as the definition of producer. Furthermore, it does not ensure that the producers of certain beverage bottles covered by the SUPD are subject to the requirements laid down in the Directive. The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to France, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion. More to read: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/inf_24_4561

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?EU & Other countries

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·The launch of TrashCoin, a platform enables users to sort waste at its source and use mobile app’s GPS function to locate nearby collection kiosks. In exchange for sorted recyclables, users receive instant payments. This model ensures that collection agents receive high-quality, clean materials that can be sold to recycling companies for processing and export. After months of negotiation, sending samples, and demonstrating the reliability of our system, Trash Coin has announced that a German recycling company has agreed to receive a trial purchase order for two containers (40 tons) of PET plastic flakes and there is a Letter of Commitment to purchase 150 tons of recycled materials monthly. This achievement represents a breakthrough in Nigeria’s waste supply chain and underscores our potential to restore international confidence in African-sourced materials. More to read: https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/nnodim-eliot_wastemamagement-digitization-esg-ugcPost-7244605648976437248-bLX4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android

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·the release of ‘Circularity and Informality: Redefining Narratives’—a product of a collaboration between IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, Ashoka, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Accelerator Labs Network, and Circle Economy.?More to read: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/exploring-intersection-circularity-informality-circle-economy-ka2ae/

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·The flexibility and versatility of plastics is difficult to match. ?However, escalating levels of plastics production and use, particularly in short-lived applications, have led to increasing waste levels and pollution of this all-pervasive material in recent decades. Without more ambitious policies, the proliferation of plastic production, use and waste will further expand by 70% by 2040.?Additionally, 19% of plastic waste will not?be properly managed, with grave impacts on the environment and human health. How can policymakers turn the ever-rising tide on plastic pollution? What strategies can eliminate plastic leakage to the environment and at what cost? ?More to read: https://www.oecd.org/en/events/2024/10/policy-scenarios-for-eliminating-plastic-pollution-by-2040.html

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?A recent report from The British Home Enhancement Trade Association?indicated that the packaging tax could lead to price increases on?common?household items like food, beverages, and cleaning products. Some analysts suggest UK households could see an increase of up to ￡60 per year in their spending due to these additional packaging costs. More to read: https://www.packtotal.co.uk/extended-producer-responsibility/epr-illustrative-fees-2025/

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·This draft Commission Delegated Regulation concerns the rules on how to calculate the rates for recycling efficiency and recovery of materials of waste batteries for the purposes of Article 71 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries. It also contains rules for the verification of the rates for recycling efficiency and recovery of materials of waste batteries, and the format for the documentation. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2023 concerning batteries and waste batteries, amending Directive 2008/98/EC and Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and repealing Directive 2006/66/EC (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32023R1542 ). More to read: https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2024/TBT/EEC/24_06520_01_e.pdf

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·In Chile, the prohibitions on distributing single-use products for consumption inside and outside food retail establishments, and the requirement that at least 30% of beverages offered in supermarkets must be in returnable bottles (Articles 3, 4 and 8 of Law No. 21.368), which originally entered into force on 13 August 2024, will do so now on 13 February 2026. More to read: https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1205724

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·A new Act to Plastic waste reduction and environmental protection to control and restrict the importation and distribution of single-use plastic items to reduce the significant environmental impact of single-use plastics, including pollution of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, harm to wildlife, risks to human health and contribution to the overall waste management crisis by promoting sustainable alternatives, and safeguarding our natural resources for future generations. Prohibition and Restrictions 1) General Prohibition: The manufacture, importation, distribution, and sale of the single-use plastic items listed in the First Schedule are prohibited. 2) Exceptions: Exceptions to these prohibitions and regulations may include: a. Single-use plastic items necessary for medical and health-related purposes. b. Specific industrial applications where no feasible alternatives exist, subject to approval by the Department of Environment (DOE). c. Items required for national security or emergency situations. More to read:? https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2024/TBT/KNA/24_06459_00_e.pdf

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·Clean technology group, Altilium, has announced a new project in collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) to produce electric vehicle (EV) battery cells using materials recovered from end-of-life EV batteries. The venture aims to demonstrate that battery cells can be produced with recovered cathode active materials (CAM) to use in vehicles. The project will use Altilium’s EcoCathode? process, which is designed to recover critical materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, resulting in a 60 per cent carbon emissions reduction. More to read: https://resource.co/article/altilium-produce-ev-battery-cells-recycled-materials

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·The Welsh Government played a pivotal role in this transformation, exemplified by their application of community-led initiatives like Cleanstream? A Total Resource Recovery System for Wales, published by Cylch in 2000. By integrating global zero-waste principles – such as emphasising the preservation of recyclate quality instead of mere 'landfill diversion' - into national policy, Wales created a comprehensive framework that connected community recycling initiatives with larger governmental objectives. Key measures included: 1. Considerable investment in changing collection and processing infrastructure primarily for Unitary Local Authorities 20 out of 22 of which are the collection contractors, unlike in other nations of the UK. 2. The building of processing facilities, including 5 Anaerobic Digesters for separately collected food wastes. 3. Supporting community recycling and re-use projects; 4. The introduction of food waste collections in 2006/07 across the whole of Wales (96 per cent of households had the kit within 18 months) was a major step forward and is the main reason Wales took a 10 per cent leap forward in those few years. 5. The inauguration of the Collaborative Change Programme following the publication of the second iteration of the Wales's Waste Strategy "Towards Zero Waste" in 2010 put expertise and sufficient resource - via WRAP - into persuading reluctant or cash-strapped Local Authorities to change to the Wales Collections Blueprint - Cylch's Cleanstream? by another name. The Collaborative Change Programme's success in persuasion was eased by the fact that "Towards Zero Waste" set statutory recycling targets to be achieved year on year with ￡200 per ton penalties for non-achievement. It was interesting to note how quickly reluctant Local Authorities were converted to recycling once their targets were achieved. Pembrokeshire - famously – moved from 63 per cent to 72 per cent recycling in its first year of changeover.?More to read: https://resource.co/article/waless-circular-economy-success-model-global-sustainability

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·Defra, the EPR administrator scheme releases second set of indicative fees for packaging EPR. The updated illustrative base fees are calculated by dividing the costs incurred by local authorities for managing household packaging waste by the total weight of the relevant packaging materials placed on the market. For each packaging category, Defra has considered two key components. The numerator includes the cost of collection, disposal, and administration. The denominator represents the total weight of that packaging category placed on the market for household use, including packaging commonly disposed of in public bins. More to read: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging-illustrative-base-fees/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging-illustrative-base-fees#second-release-of-illustrative-base-fees-for-2025-to-2026

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·In Germany, the EPR jurisdiction is placing a greater emphasis on compliance, as well as imposition of penalties for breaches of the law. Regulators are able to issue administrative fines and, in Germany, confiscate products and bar producers from access to the market following non-compliance with EPR requirements. Also, under German competition law, it will also be possible for rival companies and interested third parties to bring actions for non-compliance. More to read: https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/legal/insights/update-on-extended-producer-responsibility-changes-in-uk.html

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·The Tunisian president of the national trade union chamber of thrift store wholesalers spoke about the importance of the thrift store sector and the obstacles that hinder it. She said that more than 94% of Tunisians buy clothes from thrift stores that offer clothes of various qualities at reasonable prices. ??The second-hand clothing industry is an economic sector of great importance, exporting to the African market and directly and indirectly employing 200 thousand people, including 8000 holders of higher degrees. She also paid tribute to the efforts of the former Minister of the Environment who allowed the transformation of waste from the thrift store into renewable energy exploited by cement factories. In this regard, he called for an urgent change in the legislation governing this sector, which has become outdated by time, citing the example of the ban on sales between governorates for wholesalers. More to read: https://www.businessnews.com.tn/article,520,140874,1

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·??Workshop on policies and standards for plastic reduction and management in East and West Africa: Diving into compostability and biodegradability standards. More to read: https://unctad.org/meeting/workshop-policies-and-standards-plastic-reduction-and-management-east-and-west-africa

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·??G20 reaches consensus on climate and sustainability: Member countries move forward in a joint commitment to face climate challenges. In a statement, they commit to measures to adapt to climate change, preserve the oceans, pay for ecosystem services and improve waste management and boost the circular economy. More to read: https://www.g20.org/pt-br/noticias/g20-alcanca-consenso-sobre-clima-e-sustentabilidade

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