Weekly Newsletter on Circular Waste Management in Africa and EU Member States #20-2023

South Africa

The French South African Chamber of Commerce & Industry along with the Southern African-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAGCC) organize a business networking event on May 25, 2023.? The networking event is?aimed?at bringing?together industry experts?and businesses to adopt a?shift to a Circular Economy in South Africa?by unlocking opportunities in the context of circular economy transition that will positively?impact?a low-carbon and sustainable path whilst achieving resilient economic growth. More to read: ?https://www.fsacci.com/events/upcoming-events/e/event/network-meet-circular-economy-experts.html

This Policy Brief proposes the creation of a South-South knowledge exchange mechanism among G20 countries including South Africa for capacity development and financial mobilization on Food Loss Waste through dedicated support frameworks or facilities. The aim is to contribute to the achievement of SDG 12.3 and the UN Biodiversity Agreement aimed at reducing FLW per capita by half by 2030 and the creation of a Collaboration Platform to be launched at G20 July/ August 2023 in India. The Global South experiences growth in GDP and population, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from municipal solid waste are projected to increase by 80 percent by 2050, primarily due to food loss and waste (FLW) and municipal waste is generated at the post-harvest level, which is disposed of in open dumps and landfills, or else burned, exacerbating global warming. Best practices are emerging from different parts of the globe which could be replicated in the G20 countries to help solve the twin crisis of waste and climate change. The landscape of waste management is quickly transforming under increasing awareness of the opportunities and threats that waste poses to development and climate action. Among many actors, the Global Methane Hub (GMH) is leading global efforts to transform the waste sector by providing funding for mitigation of waste-related emissions while directly delivering on improved health, livelihoods, and dignity of communities. The International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST), meanwhile, is leading research and innovation in the waste management sector in the Global South through the development of methodologies for waste inventory, capacity-building of ULBs, and smart policy and regulations on managing wastes including plastic waste. A collaboration between GMH and iFOREST is suitable to develop and launch a South-South FLW platform at the G20. More to read: https://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/T20_PolicyBrief_TF3_SouthSouth-Circular.pdf

Municipal waste management is a major challenge for local governments in South Africa and Namibia, as in other developing countries. The circular economy concept in waste management is an alternative sustainable development framework that has the potential to combat resource depletion, pollution, and poverty while achieving the SDGs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current waste management systems in Langebaan and Swakopmund municipalities resulting from municipal policies, procedures, and practices in the context of a circular economy. A mixed method approach was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data through structured in-depth interviews, document analyses, and direct observation. The study found that the Langebaan and Swakopmund municipalities have not yet fully implemented the circular economy concept into their waste management systems. A mix of waste consisting of papers, plastics, cans, tires, and organic products is dumped into landfllls weekly at a rate of about 85%. The main challenges to implementing the circular economy concept include: lack of technical solutions, inadequate regulatory frameworks, insufficient financial resources, lack of private sector involvement, insufficient human resource capacity, and inadequate information and knowledge. A conceptual framework was therefore proposed to guide the municipalities of Langebaan and Swakopmund in implementing the circular economy concept in their waste management systems. More to read: https://repository.uwc.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10566/8888/kadhila_a%20conceptual%20framework%20for%20sustainable%20waste%20management_2023.pdf?sequence=1

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DSI launches initiatives to accelerate the development of South Africa's circular economy. A new Circular Economy Demonstration Fund, supported by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and implemented by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a DSI entity, is one of four initiatives launched on Wednesday, 10 May. More to read: https://sciencebusiness.net/network-updates/dsi-launches-initiatives-accelerate-development-south-africas-circular-economy

In the world

UNEP Report Provides Roadmap to End Plastic Pollution, But Faces Criticism. The report calls for governments and companies to implement policy and market shifts, using existing technologies. It offers a key focus on an overall reduction on the use of plastics by implementing circularity, while also proposing shifts towards reuse, recycle and reorient and diversify. The report has been applauded by many, including as a lead-in to the second round of UN negotiations on a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution (INC-2), but it has also been met with some criticisms. The suggestion of using questionable recycling and disposal methods, such as chemical recycling and kiln burning of plastics is one. More to read: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136702

This report proposes a new set of indicators dedicated to monitoring long-term trends in waste prevention in Europe. The framework consists of three clusters of indicators: (i) the system where prevention is implemented, (ii) policy enablers focusing on waste prevention measures based on article 9 of the waste framework directive and (iii) waste prevention outcomes. Although waste prevention programs have been in place for almost 10 years in the EU, it remains difficult to establish a link between the introduction of waste prevention programs and waste generation. Almost all EU countries have some sort of quantitative target?(n=25) and quantitative indicators (n=22) related to waste prevention (for all types of waste). Total waste per capita in the EU Member States increased by 1.45% from 2010 to 2020 while overall economic growth (expressed in terms of GDP) increased by 6%, showing signs that relative, but not absolute, decoupling has been achieved between waste generation and economic growth. Countries focus on promoting sustainable consumption models, encouraging reuse and repair activities, and developing and supporting information campaigns, but this is not enough. Waste prevention monitoring is unique in that it is more than a simple matter of tracking whether waste generation has decreased. This is because the term prevention itself implies that a certain event or action has taken place, which leads to an impact on waste output. This means that a key aspect of waste prevention monitoring is to consider waste generation in the context of another metric, such as waste prevention effort or an economic metric (e.g. gross domestic product (GDP)), which is used to assess whether society is decoupling environmental impact from economic growth. Furthermore, waste prevention monitoring goes beyond the end-of-pipe mentality and can also consider resource use, material footprints and consumption levels for areas with high material intensity consumption, as well as value retention strategies that could reduce the consumption of material and products. More to read: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/tracking-waste-prevention-progress

The use of environmental taxes to drive the sustainability agenda is on the rise and new regulations and legislation are being introduced on a global scale at a rapid pace. While plastics tax is not a new concept, it is quickly becoming a legislative discussion point in several regions and countries as governments implement various environmental protection methods to combat climate change and tackle waste and pollution.?The plastic tax wave towards greater sustainability and circularity. To direct behavior in tackling plastic pollution, the EU has in place specific rules and targets that apply to certain areas, including single-use plastics, plastic packaging, and microplastics. However, rather than a regional tax, the EU has introduced an “own resource plastics contribution”, which is a national contribution from each Member State based on the amount of non-recycled plastic packaging waste. This contribution is only between the EU and the Member States and is based on the amount of non-recycled plastic packaging waste produced by each Member State. Currently, Member States have adopted, or are considering adopting, one of the following two main approaches: (i) member States pay the contribution from their own national budget, regardless of whether they have set up a national system to collect the tax (as in Sweden’s case); or (ii) Member States design their own tax legislation (“plastics tax”) and set up a national system to collect the tax by way of a tax on specific taxpayers. (Each country determines the definition of taxed products, the mechanism to collect the tax, the refund options, etc.). More to read: https://kpmg.com/xx/en/home/insights/2022/11/plastic-taxes-a-european-perspective.html

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The Waste Framework Directive (EEC, 1975, revised 2008) set a legal obligation for EU Member States to adopt waste prevention programs by 12 December 2013. The waste hierarchy, the guiding framework for EU and national waste policies, gives the highest priority to waste prevention, followed by (preparing for) reuse, recycling, other recovery and disposal. The analysis of waste prevention initiatives is based on harmonized country/region 'abstracts', which facilitate cross program comparison. Every 2023 waste prevention for every member states is available. More to read: https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/waste/waste-prevention/countries/country-profiles-on-waste-prevention

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Public consultation on Polluter pays principle: fitness check of its application to the environment by EU commission. his fitness check will look at how well the EU applies the principle, including in policies that may have an environmental impact. It will look at the application of the principle at Member State level. The fitness check should provide the basis for recommendations in 2024 on how to better implement the principle. More to read: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/13546-Polluter-Pays-Principle-fitness-check-of-its-application-to-the-environment_en

?France

Are biodegradable plastics really compostable? The experiment was monitored by researchers from the University of Montpellier and AgroParisTech in partnership with the industrial composting platform of the Syndicat de Centre Héraut in Aspiran (near Montpellier). Compostable plastic food packaging certified NF EN 13432 and NF T51-800 (bags, films, food trays and coffee pods), composed of different resins marketed and present on the European market (PLA, enzymated PLA, PBAT and complexed starch) have been supplied by members of the French Association of Bio-based Compostables (AFCB) such as BASF, CARBIOLICE, Green Business and Consulting Company. The objective was to verify the biodegradation of certified compostable packaging during an industrial composting test under real conditions in order to validate or not the environmental interest of plastics qualified as biodegradable. The experiment consisted in composting, on an industrial platform, 20 tons of food waste and biowaste collected from households, with the addition of 323 kg of various compostable packaging certified NF EN 13432 and NF T51-800 in order to achieve a deliberately overestimated incorporation rate of 1.3%. This industrial composting test was carried out over a total period of 4 months in an open environment and without forced aeration. Carried out in parallel with a control compost, regular checks and samples were carried out during composting. The main results of this test in real conditions made it possible to highlight that the addition of certified compostable packaging had a positive effect on composting yield, had no negative impact on the agronomic quality of the final compost, has not generated ecotoxicity to higher plants, earthworms and daphnia, and that all materials tested have fully met the requirements of the disintegration rate of the standards. Also, That, with regard to the fate in soil of residual compostable micro fragments, the immediate continuation of their biodegradation is demonstrated and their rate of biodegradation increases according to their residence time in the compost. . More to read: https://www.notre-planete.info/actualites/5068-plastique-biodegradable-compost

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EPR scheme for tires: the draft technical specification document for PROs and individual systems is under public consultation. Targets are proposed in particular for the recycling of tires in a closed loop (e.g. via pyrolysis) and for reuse (in particular via retreading). The recovery of silage tires is expected to increase significantly. The draft specifications set collection targets of 96% of the deposit in 2024, 97% in 2026 and 98% in 2028, an increase of half a point per year. More to read: https://dechets-infos.com/pneus-le-projet-de-cahier-des-charges-en-consultation-4929529.html

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EPR schemes in France are either management by PROs or individual organization and for the majority of the schemes, PROs financed the public authorities in charge of waste management (from prevention to final disposal). There is a contract agreement between PROs and the municipalities (or group of municipalities) on what to achieve, how to do it and at what level. Accordingly, PROs will finance the services (separate collection door to door or at collection points, sorting in a transfer and recycling center, etc..). In the case of the EPR for construction and demolition waste, PROs and the association of the municipalities do not agree yet on the level of fee to be paid. Eventually, the public authorities may have to decide to unlock the situation. More to read: ??https://dechets-infos.com/pmcb-contrat-type-et-soutiens-les-discussions-paraissent-enlisees-4929519.html

Deposits of plastic waste that can be treated by chemical and physico-chemical recycling in France. This report presents a comprehensive overview of the plastic waste deposits generated by the main sectors that consume the most plastics in France in 2019, and identifies the chemical and physico-chemical recycling technologies with the highest development potential to treat these waste deposits. This work is motivated by the growing desire to ensure the transition to a circular economy. This guide aims to cover the following main objectives: (i) Recall how plastic waste management sectors are currently organized and their prospects for development; (ii) Establish a mapping of the deposits of plastic waste generated, and not or poorly recovered in France by type of resins and by sector; (iii) Characterize the most relevant combinations [waste deposits/chemical and physico-chemical recycling technologies] for France according to their level of industrial maturity and participation in the implementation of a circular economy. More to read: https://librairie.ademe.fr/dechets-economie-circulaire/5955-gisements-de-dechets-plastiques-pouvant-etre-traites-par-recyclage-chimique-et-physico-chimique-en-france.html