Michael Brunn

Geopolitics are highlighting how important these materials are. And while many people have heard about CRMs by now, not all of them know that these elements can be recovered from unused or broken electronic products sleeping in our drawers and attics. This is why the 8th edition of the International E-Waste Day (#ewasteday) will focus on raising awareness about this fact.

Just one in five (21%) say they always read the recycling instructions on product packaging; this increases to almost one in three (31%) in the 25 - 34 age group but drops to 17% for those aged 65 and over. However, almost one in ten (9%) say they never bother reading whether the packaging they have bought can be recycled.

In November 2024, Infinitum AS opened a brand-new sorting plant at Skurve, on the southwest coast of Norway.

Erema spent two years intensively researching, testing, and further developing the twin-screw extruder concept presented at K 2022. Working together closely with customers, they have developed a series production solution that is particularly adept at recycling production waste consisting of demanding multi-layer films. The technology also opens up new perspectives for thin-walled post-consumer regrind material.

Independently verified and calculated using the EU's harmonised methodology, the latest figures reveal that 82% of steel packaging placed on the market was 'really recycled' in 2023, meaning it entered actual recycling operations, rather than just being collected.

The newly approved Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation sets mandatory targets for the progressive reuse of packaging. However, there are currently no standardized procedures to assess the food safety risks associated with this reuse. In response, Aimplas is leading the SAFEREUSE project, which aims to evaluate the risks associated with reusable plastic food packaging when exposed to high temperatures in microwaves and dishwashers. Funded by the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the initiative also seeks to establish a methodology that guarantees food safety and consumer health protection, while providing a system to support compliance with regulatory requirements.

In light of the upcoming review of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, the WEEE Forum has, together with Deloitte, published a new study urging the European Commission to adopt a more ambitious, realistic and circularity-driven approach to setting WEEE management targets.

The plenary session in Valencia on May 28 began with a potent example of how fact-based advocacy had been used by the recycling industry to counter the inaccurate arguments of vested interests seeking the introduction of export restrictions on Europe's recycled steel. And the meeting concluded with a sneak preview of a heavily-researched and potentially game-changing study co-funded by BIR and KPMG, which will detail in hard numbers the massive and wide-ranging environmental gains achieved worldwide through recycling.

Black mass production is a key step in the battery recycling process and is based on mechanical treatment of the batteries. The Black Mass contains high amounts of key metals used to produce cathode active materials (CAM): lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. These metals can be chemically recovered and used to produce new CAM, enabling circularity and reducing the carbon footprint compared to using only primary raw materials.

Speaking at the Plastics Division plenary session, Alev Somer, BIR Trade & Environment Director, explained that the 2022 proposal would be subject to another round of talks, known as 5:2, in August this year. The aim of the planned treaty, she said, was to develop a legally binding instrument addressing plastic pollution. It would cover plastics for both single use and long-term use and, within the proposals, the recycling of plastics was in sharp focus. Ms Somer explained: "Since 2022, we at the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee have been discussing reaching the ultimate goal of a plastics treaty that would address the whole life cycle of plastics and actually perhaps support the recycling industry. This treaty would address plastic pollution not only at land but also at sea."