Michael Brunn

Recycling Europe issues a warning about the structural issues endangering European plastic recycling.

The world is at a turning point in dealing with growing waste. Poor waste management has significant consequences, but at the same time offers opportunities: investing in sustainable and efficient systems can boost growth, jobs and innovation. In particular, the circular economy, which focuses on reuse and value retention, can turn waste into an engine of sustainable development. The World Bank Group's "What a Waste 3.0" report provides up-to-date data and analysis on global trends in waste management.

Knowledge of cathode chemistry is increasingly decisive for the efficiency of modern recycling processes. The previous practice of processing heterogeneous batteries together leads to com-plex material flows and decreasing metal yields. The study "Identification of waste lithium-ion battery cell chemistry for recycling" by Finnish scientists shows that new diagnostic methods such as incremental capacity analysis can enable non-destructive pre-sorting for the first time. The study was published in "Waste Management".

Biogenic waste is one of the largest sources of raw materials in the European circular economy, which has so far been underestimated. Food residues, wood waste, sewage sludge and agricultural residues accumulate in enormous quantities, but are still often incinerated or landfilled. The study "Assessing the potential to enhance the circularity of bio-based waste" by Magellan Circle and 3drivers shows that more than half of these materials could be used in a higher quality. To achieve this, better separate collection, new recycling technologies and clear political framework conditions for a circular bioeconomy are crucial.

Increasing quality requirements and the pressure to decarbonize pose new challenges for the steel and recycling industries. The study "Combination of multimodal sensor data for improved use of scrap in steel production" by scientists from Austria, Italy, Germany and Sweden shows how scrap can be comprehensively characterized in real time for the first time with the help of combined sensor technology and artificial intelligence. The study was published in "Austrian Water and Waste Management".

The circular economy is considered the key to resource conservation, climate neutrality and a secure supply of raw materials to industry. But one central problem remains unsolved so far: For many metal streams, there is a lack of reliable data on quantities, qualities and actual recycling paths. The analysis "Data requirements for a successful circular economy" by the Federal Environment Agency and the Ger-man Mineral Resources Agency shows that there are considerable information gaps along the entire val-ue chain.

The United Nations' Global Environment Outlook 7 describes the environmental crises of our time with unusual clarity, assigning a key role to the circular economy. Waste, materials and material flows no longer appear as marginal issues of environmental policy, but as central lev-ers for climate, resource and biodiversity protection. The article classifies the core messages of the report and shows why high-performance material and waste systems are becoming the strategic infrastructure of a sustainable economy.

CCU and CCS are considered essential instruments for achieving climate targets, especially in industries that are difficult to decarbonize. However, the effort required to install such systems is high, as is the energy consumption. In the study "CCU Technologies: Status Quo and Future Prospects", the think tank Industrial Resource Strategies investigated whether decentralized and less energy-intensive CCU pro-cesses can be used. The focus is less on the direct contribution to the climate and more on the develop-ment of competitive technologies.

The European Commission has announced a law on the circular economy for the third quarter. Now the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has also commented on this. In the report "The EU Circular Economy Act-Key policy levers for Europe's Industrial Strategy", the organisation has outlined its ideas for the law.

As the study "Including Incineration in the EU-ETS: Potential Impact on Landfilling" by Dr. Dominik Hogg on behalf of Zero Waste Europe shows, the concern about a return to landfilling due to the inclusion of waste incineration in emissions trading is largely unfounded. Rather, existing regulatory restrictions, ris-ing landfill levies and structural market conditions determine the actual material flow shifts. The CO₂ price acts as an additional, but not dominant, control mechanism.