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Germany-based European Bioplastics e.V., an association representing the bioplastics industry in Europe, has supported a new report by the European Parliament on revised waste legislation that has highlighted the role of bioplastics to help transition to a circular economy.

European federations Euric and Fead are calling on the EU commission to focus more on the demand side in their circular economy package.

Many European countries are realising the economic benefits of making more efficient use of material resources like metals, fossil fuels and minerals. But more action is needed to underpin this trend in resource efficiency with stronger policies on energy, material resources, waste management and on circular economy. These are the findings from a new European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment published today.

A report by US-based Stratistics Market Research Consulting has said that the global e-waste management market is expected to reach $9.5 billion by 2022, grow at a CAGR of 21.4%. The market was valued at $2.4 billion in 2015.

The BIR world recycling organisation and the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation have both campaigned for the development of more modern, paperless control procedures for transboundary waste movements.

Through the joint efforts of recyclers and tyre producers, it had been possible to convince the EU authorities not to ban the use of tyre-derived granules in artificial turf infill pending further research into their environmental and health impact. This represented a major issue given that infill constituted a “very big” application area for end-of-life tyres (ELTs) in Europe, it was explained to the BIR Tyres & Rubber Committee meeting in Berlin by its Chairman, Ruud Burlet of Rubber Resources.

Extracthive, a spin-off from France-based CEA Marcoule labs, aims to leverage the CEA’s expertise in hydrometallurgical processes to design and industrialize new metal extracting and recycling processes, ultimately easing metal sourcing constraints.

The European Plastics Converters (EuPC) association unanimously re-elected Michael Kundel as its president. Kundel, CEO of Renolit, is renewing his two-year term as EuPC President.

Describing India as the world’s fifth-largest producer of e-waste, BIR E-Scrap Committee member Surendra Patawari Borad explained to the body’s latest meeting in Berlin that the government had introduced an extended producer responsibility system for e-waste earlier this year which proposed a 30% collection target for the first two years, rising to 70% after seven years.

Some countries considered used clothing to be a product generated by expert sorting operations according to well-recognised market specifications. However, there is disagreement within EU member states as to whether used clothing/textiles should be considered waste in different circumstances and when such items cease to become waste. In addition, some countries in other parts of the world regard used clothing as a threat to new clothing production, thus giving rise to calls for a ban on used clothing imports.

Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) delivers its Kompogas technology for Europe’s largest biogas plant for dry anaerobic digestion. The facility, built in the north of Italy, will process approximately 100,000 tonnes of organic municipal solid waste per year.

As discussions on the European circular economy package pick up speed, European Recycling Platform (ERP), a company of the Landbell Group, calls upon the European Parliament and the Member States to concentrate on enforcing EU waste Law in line with EU competition Law.