2 July 2020 COLLECTORS Newsletter #5

HIGHLIGHT

COLLECTORS is coming towards the end...

After 2.5 years of hard work the COLLECTORS consortium is ready to present all its findings and results! The documentation of many European local waste collection systems, the in-depth analysis of 12 specific case studies, as well as the involvement of different players of the recycling value chain, have enabled us to compile practical guidelines and policy recommendations to shift to better waste collection systems.

Without giving away too much, we can already give you a first taste with some preliminary conclusions. The COLLECTORS project found out that there is a need not only for improving knowledge but also the data available at local level on the potential for improvement, the quality and outcomes of sorted fractions, unreported WEEE streams, and costs of waste collection system. This hampers the proper comparison and identification of good practices for better aligning waste collection with the needs of end-users. More harmonization of sorted guidelines of paper and packaging waste can also be recommended, to make it easier for citizens to sort waste. When it comes to WEEE, much needs to be done to tackle illegal practices that seriously hinders local performances, the quality of sorted fractions, and the economic balance of collection systems. This can be promoted through the implementation of national policies (such as the ban on cash transaction for scrap metal), and the development of local actions (such as securing collection points). Financial instruments yield a significant potential for improving local performances. Adequate national instruments should be implemented to make sure that re-use and recycling are economically-viable options for local waste collection systems.

We originally planned to share these results at our final conference in Brussels this June. Unfortunately, the unforeseen consequences of the COVID-19 situation have forced us to postpone our final event. Keep an eye on the COLLECTORS website where we will soon announce the new date.

NEWS ABOUT THE PROJECT

COLLECTORS guidelines and policy recommendations are now available!

After 2.5 years of researches and exchanges with different players of the recycling value-chain, the COLLECTORS consortium is happy to share with you its findings by publishing two documents: the COLLECTORS guidelines aiming to provide recommendations and good practices for local waste collection systems to better assess their situation and improve their performances; the COLLECTORS policy recommendations, providing propositions on how to improve national and regional framework conditions.

Both reports capitalise on the work of the consortium, but also the exchanges with external stakeholders and collaboration with other EU projects.

Share your experience: the impact of COVID-19 on local waste systems

COLLECTORS wants to use its strength and expand the exchange of experience to try to bring answers to the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the last months of the project, one of the partners, namely ACR+, mapped how public authorities in Europe and beyond reacted and adapted their waste management systems. In order to increase the resilience of municipal solid waste collection systems, ACR+ wants to hear directly from municipal and local authorities or their waste operators about the consequences of the crisis on their waste systems, through an online survey (open until the end of July 2020). This survey will lead to the publication of an aggregated analysis, accompanied by highlights on specific practices.

Fill in the survey

Webinars: discover the presentations and the recordings

Three webinars were organised to summarise the main findings of the project and to give the floor to local players that implemented good practices identified by COLLECTORS. Each webinar focused on one of the three waste fractions covered by the project. In case you missed the webinars, or if you want to consult the presentations, make sure to visit the COLLECTORS website!

Findings from the COLLECTORS expert workshops

Two new reports summarise the main findings from COLLECTORS multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) studies and expert workshops. The first report presents examples on how MCDM can be used as a participatory method to support idea generation and the decision-making process as a whole. The second report focuses on the evaluation criteria that could be used for monitoring the performance of a waste collection system, comparing collection systems in different regions and evaluating the impacts of alternative collection strategies or means of collection.

NEWS ABOUT THE PARTNERS

PNO has a new company: EGEN

The PNO Energy & Environment and Transport & Sustainable mobility teams continue under the name EGEN. Can you imagine what more than 30 such professionals can do together? Sustainable innovation that matters! This way EGEN wants to be able to help you achieve your green transition, investment or innovation even better. From research and strategic innovation advice, project development and applying for subsidies and financing to guidance in the exploitation and realisation of impactful projects. Recently, together with more than 250 other Dutch businesses, EGEN signed the Green Recovery Statement to pledge for a sustainable recovery of the economy after the COVID-19 crisis.

Characterisation of fires caused by batteries in WEEE

Batteries, when damaged, increasingly cause electrical and electronic products to catch fires. In the past few months, organisations representative of the industry that manages the collection and treatment of spent batteries and electronic waste (WEEE) and of manufacturers of home appliances and consumer electronics gathered to exchange views about this issue of growing concern in order to design measures to counter the frequent occurrence of fires. A survey among recyclers resulted in a better understanding of the issue of fires in the WEEE management chain. The report, “Characterisation of fires caused by batteries in WEEE”, has been prepared by EuRIC and the WEEE Forum with the active contribution of experts from various organisations including ecosystem, a PRO in the WEEE Forum, and the co-signatories namely EERA, EUCOBAT, Municipal Waste Europe and the WEEELABEX Organisation.