UNIFORMITY IN DIVERSITY€¦ · EUROPE.“Europe Goes Green Dot” takes a close look at the...

2006/2007

PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l.Rue Martin V 401200 Brussels, Belgium

Phone: + 32 (2) 2 30 00 67Fax: + 32 (2) 7 34 62 [email protected]

UNIFORMITY IN DIVERSITY

06PEG0519 SE umschlag 07.09.2006 11:23 Uhr Seite 1

Dear Reader,

The European Community first introduced measures on the

management of packaging waste over 20 years ago, with the adop-

tion of a Directive on containers of liquids for human consump-

tion in 1985. We have come a long way since then. Directive

94/62/EC and its subsequent revisions in 2004 and 2005 have had

a positive impact on the management of Europe’s packaging and

packaging waste, and proved to be a catalyst for responsible en-

vironmental behaviour among Europe’s citizens. For example, sor-

ting packaging waste is now a daily habit for millions of house-

holds, recycling and recovery rates are on the increase and all parts

of the packaging chain – from producer to consumer – acknow-

ledge they have a role to play in preventing packaging waste in the

first place. We must build on the successes to date and ensure that

the management of our packaging waste continues to contribute

to achieving a more sustainable society.

In the majority of Member States, the Packaging Directive

has been implemented through “producer responsibility” systems

set up to assume packaging waste collection and recovery respon-

sibilities on behalf of industry in a cost-effective way. Producer

responsibility is an important environmental policy tool which

has proven successful in a number of other EU Directives, namely

those on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, End-of-Life

Vehicles and Batteries. In the packaging field, the “Green Dot” pro-

ducer responsibility systems, and their umbrella organisation PRO

EUROPE, have made a significant contribution towards the ful-

filment of the revised recovery and recycling targets in Directive

2004/12/EC. Perhaps one of the strengths of the systems is that

they involve all actors in the packaging chain, including packa-

ging manufacturers, fillers, distributors, as well as local authori-

ties and citizens. The systems also collate valuable data on packa-

ging waste generation and waste management, which is helpful

for the Member States in relation to their reporting obligations

and assists policy makers in taking objective decisions. Moreover,

PRO EUROPE and its members have done a great deal in raising

the environmental awareness of our citizens. I am convinced that

environmental education is hugely important when faced with

the challenges of climate change, biodiversity and resource use.

The work undertaken by the PRO EUROPE Youth Eco-Parliament®

is an example of the importance of harnessing young people’s

commitment to the environment.

I therefore welcome the latest edition of Europe Goes Green

Dot. It offers a valuable and in-depth analysis of the producer

responsibility systems – including the national legislation on which

the schemes are based and their future outlook over the coming

years – as well as an overview of PRO EUROPE. I am sure it will

prove to be a useful tool for those interested in packaging waste

management – for industry and political representatives, acade-

mics and citizens alike.

Although we have ten years of European legislation on the

management of packaging waste behind us, I believe it is only right

that we continue to focus on ensuring the full and proper imple-

mentation of this important Directive. It is crucial that all 25

Member States are allowed to achieve the Directive’s new targets

as well as its prevention aims. I therefore look to PRO EUROPE

and its members for their continued support in the realisation of

our ambition that Europe truly becomes a recycling society.

Stavros Dimas

Member of the European Commission

G R E E T I N G

67

C O N TA C T

C A N A D A

Green Dot North America™

c/o CSR, 26 Wellington St., East

Suite 601

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5E 1S2

Phone: (+1-416) 5 94-34 56

Fax: (+1-416) 5 94-34 63

E-mail: [email protected]

www.greendot.ca

www.csr.org

U N I T E D K I N G D O M

Valpak Ltd.

Stratford Business Park

Banbury Road

Stratford-upon-Avon

Warwickshire

CV37 7GW

United Kingdom

Phone: (+44-17 89) 20 87 00

Fax: (+44-17 89) 20 87 69


www.valpak.co.uk

www.green-dot.org.uk

DEFRA – Producer Responsibility Unit

Mrs. Sheila McKinley

Producer Responsibility Unit

Department for Environment,

Food & Rural Affairs

Nobel House

17 Smith Square

London

SW1P 3JR

United Kingdom

Phone: (+44-20) 70 82 87 75

Fax: (+44-20) 70 82 87 64


www.defra.gov.uk

German-British Chamber of

Industry and Commerce

Mr. Ian Wivell

Mecklenburg House

16 Buckingham Gate

London SW1E 6LB

United Kingdom

Phone: (+44-20) 79 76 41-50

Fax: (+44-20) 79 76 41-01/02


www.ahk-london.co.uk

IMPRINT

Published by:PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l.Rue Martin V 401200 BrusselsBelgium

Concept and realisation:mcpr – meiner corporate pr,Grafschaft,Germany

Text editing:Blue Satellite, Düsseldorf,Germany

Layout:Konzeption + Design, Cologne,Germany

Lithography:Peters Produktion GmbH,Viersen,Germany

Printed by:Schotte GmbH & Co. KG,Krefeld,Germany

Illustrative and photographiccredits:

PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l., Brussels

Responsible for photographs:The Green Dot organisationsof the different countries(listed on pages 62-67)

Printed on recycled paperStatus: October 2006

EDITORIAL INFORMATION

Eko-Ozra d.o.o. (Croatia) introduced the

Green Dot as financing symbol in July 2006,

making it the 25th Green Dot system.

Since Eko-Ozra is still being set up, it is not

described in this edition.

Eko-Ozra d.o.o.

Ulica Kneza Ljudevita Posavskog 48/III

10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Phone: (+385-1) 46 47-184

Fax: (+385-1) 46 47-182


www.eko-ozra.hr


Dear Reader,

The founding of producer responsibility schemes in 27 coun-tries – 21 EU Member States, four candidate countries, Norwayand Canada – demonstrates that the Green Dot model suc-cessfully contributes to the realisation of the recycling andrecovery targets set out in Directive 2004/12/EC on packagingand packaging waste. Eko-Ozra d.o.o. from Croatia adopted theGreen Dot as financing symbol in July 2006 as the 27th mem-ber. We are particularly proud that all ten Member States thatacceded to the EU in May 2004 decided in favour of establish-ing producer responsibility schemes to effectively managetheir packaging and packaging waste. This also highlights thecommitment of industry throughout Europe and beyond toecologically and economically efficient packaging recycling.

Today, more than 130,000 companies are licensees of theGreen Dot trademark, while over 460 billion packaging itemshave been labelled with the symbol. PRO EUROPE, theumbrella organisation under which the 27 national compli-ance schemes work, seeks to harmonise the services offered bythe national systems and to develop packaging recycling andrecovery to an even greater extent.

The schemes have long supported the process of re-ducing and optimising packaging by industry. More than 20.5 million tonnes of packaging were recovered in 2005, andas a result, considerable quantities of primary energy havebeen saved and greenhouse gas emissions avoided. PROEUROPE is equally committed to building the environmen-tal awareness of our citizens, as is evident through its YouthEco-Parliament®. During 2005-2006, over 3,600 students draft-ed Open Letters on the protection of the environment and

sustainable development, based upon the young people’sexperiences through their work on local environmental pro-jects, to be presented to representatives of different sectors ofsociety at the 3rd International PRO EUROPE Congress inParis in October 2006. Thanks to this project and others organ-ised throughout the member countries, our citizens are nowmuch more conscious of the problems posed by waste and,importantly, how they can tackle these problems.

With the updated edition of this brochure, we would liketo present 26 individual producer responsibility schemes, aswell as provide an overview of the role and goals of PROEUROPE. “Europe Goes Green Dot” takes a close look at thenational systems’ tasks, targets and modes of operation. Inspite of their differences in logistical concepts and technicalideas, one thing is clear – producer responsibility schemesmake a substantial and successful contribution to sustainabledevelopment by means of packaging recycling. We hope youfind it an interesting and valuable read.

Finally, we extend our thanks to everyone involved in theproduction of the latest edition of this brochure.

Joachim Quoden

Managing Director of PRO EUROPE

Bernhard Hérodin

President of PRO EUROPE

ED I TOR IAL

Bernard Hérodin Joachim Quoden

President Managing Director

06PEG0519 SE vorwort 07.09.2006 11:19 Uhr Seite 3

CONTENTS

4

The Green DotBringing producer responsibility to life 6

PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l.Uniformity in diversity 8

ARA System _ AustriaCompetent partner for industry 10

ÇEVKO _ TurkeyFrom self-help organisation to recognised system 12

Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutschland GmbH _ GermanyModern environmental service provider 14

Ecoembalajes España, S.A. (Ecoembes) _ SpainEfficient recovery and prevention 16

Eco-Emballages S.A. _ FranceFlexible French connection 18

EcoPack Bulgaria JSC _ BulgariaA high level of environmental protection 20

Eco-Rom Ambalaje SA _ RomaniaPackaging recycling with a future 22

EKO-KOM, a.s. _ Czech RepublicCooperation for the environment 24

ENVI-PAK, a.s. _ SlovakiaSystematic waste separation 26

ETO – Eesti Taaskasutusorganisatsioon _ EstoniaHelping people care for the environment 28

FOST Plus _ BelgiumNew life for packaging 30

Green Dot (Cyprus) Public Co. Ltd. _ CyprusRecycling with long-run perspective 32

06PEG0519 ENGLISCH 12.09.2006 16:29 Uhr Seite 4

5

GreenPak Ltd. _ MaltaRecycling gets off to a good start 34

Grønt Punkt Norge AS _ NorwayVoluntary initiative on the part of industry 36

HERRCo _ GreeceAlternative waste management on the advance 38

Latvijas Zalais Punkts, JSC _ LatviaNew ideas for conserving natural resources 40

ÖKO-Pannon p.b.c. _ HungaryEfficient waste manager 42

Rekopol Organizacja Odzysku S.A. _ PolandCommitted to closing the loop 44

REPA – Reparegistret AB _ SwedenMeasurable benefit for the environment 46

Repak Limited _ IrelandSustainable initiative for closing the loop 48

Slopak d.o.o. _ SloveniaStable cooperation for sustainability 50

Sociedade Ponto Verde, S.A. _ PortugalCooperation with industry and the municipalities 52

VALORLUX asbl _ LuxembourgSuccessful venture for waste recovery and prevention 54

Zaliasis taskas _ LithuaniaTrendsetter for producer responsibility 56

CSR _ CanadaCooperation partner in North America 58

Valpak Ltd. _ United KingdomA cooperation partner with a difference 60

Contact 62


THE GREEN DOT

BRINGING PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY TO LIFE

6

Producer responsibility schemesrespond to industry’s needs

The notion of producer responsibility has

become an integral part of EU environment

policy. Bringing this concept to life in the

area of packaging waste management,

Green Dot systems have become interna-

tionally recognised models that contribute

to the efficient fulfilment of EU Directive

2004/12/EC on packaging and packaging

waste.

In order to harmonise national regu-

lations that had developed in Europe

since 1991, EU Directive 94/62/EC on

packaging and packaging waste was

adopted in December 1994. It

obliged industry to take back and

recover or recycle the packaging

it had placed on the market.

Furthermore, the Directive set

recovery and recycling targets

that the individual Member

States had to fulfil. These tar-

gets rose substantially with

the adoption of Directive

2004/12/EC. The Directive

was further amended in 2005

to grant the ten most recent

EU Member States deroga-

tions to reach the recycling

and recovery targets (Direc-

tive 2005/20/EC).

In order to fulfil national and European

packaging legislation, recovery organisa-

tions were founded by the business and

industry community to assume industry’s

packaging waste take-back and recovery

obligations. To date, 25 European coun-

tries – 20 EU Member States, four candidate

countries (Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and

Croatia) and Norway – have established

such recovery organisations which imple-

ment producer responsibility on the part

of manufacturers and fillers, and indicate

that national packaging recycling complies

with European legislation. Eko-Ozra d.o.o.

joined in July 2006 and is still building up

a structure. Today, more than 130,000 licen-

sees use the “Green Dot” trademark, and

more than 460 billion pieces of packaging

are marked with this financing symbol.

Moreover, in 2005 more than 14.7 million

tonnes of used packaging were recovered

and recycled by producer responsibility

schemes in Europe.

Towards a “recycling society”The schemes work together under PRO

EUROPE, the Brussels-based Packaging

Recovery Organisation s.p.r.l. Established

in 1995, it aims to harmonise the national

services offered by the systems and toSource: FOST Plus, Belgium


7

I N T R O D U C T I O N

develop packaging recycling and recovery

to an even greater extent. This long-stand-

ing commitment to packaging recycling

and recovery is directly in line with the EU’s

goal of making Europe a “recycling so-

ciety” – one which seeks to prevent waste

in the first place, but also to use waste as a

valuable resource.1) The recovery schemes

pledge to keep on working towards this goal

alongside the European Institutions, indus-

try representatives, the waste management

sector, local authorities, consumers and

other involved partners.

Bearing this in mind, PRO EUROPE

members are aware of how packaging pre-

vention and environmental education can

play a significant role in helping Europe

(and indeed, the world) to become a “re-

cycling society”.

An integrated approach to waste prevention The recovery schemes have long supported

the process of reducing and optimising

packaging by industry. As a result, fewer

materials are now used in the production

of packaging, while waste materials are

increasingly reused, recovered or recycled.

For example, the weight of a 1.5-litre plas-

tic bottle for water on the French market

in 2000 was 36.4 grams, but in 2005 it was

just 33 grams. Due to the fact that the

licence fees are calculated on the basis of

the material and weight of the packaging

placed on the market, the recovery schemes

offer a financial incentive to prevent or

reduce packaging.

However, waste prevention should not

be seen as simply the qualitative and quan-

titative reduction of packaging materials.

On the contrary, it must take account of

the entire process chain, from production,

distribution and sale to use and subsequent

disposal. Several scientific studies show that

transportation is a key factor in assessing

the environmental impact of packed prod-

ucts. If the transport packaging is inade-

quate and the products are damaged or

spoiled, the negative effects on the environ-

ment are much higher because the products

have become waste, and the energy con-

sumed in the production, distribution and

storage of the products is lost. In addition,

evolving consumer needs have a bearing on

the environmental impact of the product

and packaging unit. Packaging sizes for spe-

cific target groups protect the products from

becoming waste and can therefore help to

protect the environment.2)

Promoting a sense of responsibilityThe EU has revised its Sustainable Devel-

opment Strategy 3) which aims for a more

prosperous, cleaner and fairer Europe. Con-

sidering that one key path to sustainable

development is environmental education,

the national recovery organisations are

committed to building environmental

awareness and encouraging citizens to act

responsibly.

Examples of some of the projects and

educational activities organised by PRO

EUROPE members include information

events, open days at waste management

and recycling plants as well as programmes

aimed at children and young people in

order to present the somewhat broad

topic of sustainability in a fun and in-

formative way. Many measures are carried

out as partnership programmes in cooper-

ation with producers, local authorities,

environmental organisations and NGOs,

recovery organisations and recyclers as

well as trade bodies.4) Widespread commu-

3) Commission Communication, On the review ofthe Sustainable Development Strategy: A platformfor action, COM (2005) 658.

4) More information is provided in the PROEUROPE brochure “Environmental Education –the path to Sustainable Development”, available at www.pro-europe.info

2) More information is given in the PRO EUROPEbrochure “Effective packaging – effective preven-tion”. It explains the need for an integrated approach to reduce the environmental effects ofpackaging on the basis of scientific studies and the opinions expressed by international experts.It is available at www.pro-europe.info.

nication campaigns on the environmen-

tal benefits of packaging recycling have led

to an increased awareness of the waste

issue. Today, more than 270 million Euro-

peans have access to separate collection.

In Sweden, 81 per cent of the population

separate their waste and in Spain, 73 per

cent. In Norway, recent opinion polls con-

ducted show that around 60 per cent of the

population believes that waste separation

and recycling are important for the envi-

ronment.

On the European level, PRO EUROPE

has been organising international con-

gresses to encourage the international waste

debate since 2001. Added to this, in 2004,

PRO EUROPE’s first Youth Eco-Parliament®

offered hundreds of young people the

opportunity of tackling pressing environ-

mental issues that exist on their own door-

step. Young people from ten nations drew

up a White Paper with recommendations

on the environment, thus participating ac-

tively in the EU decision-making processes.

They personally presented this White

Paper to EU Environment Commissioner

Stavros Dimas, European Parliament

President Josep Borrell Fontelles and Mem-

ber of the European Parliament and Chair-

man of its Environment Committee Karl-

Heinz Florenz. In view of its success, a second

Youth Eco-Parliament® with 3,600 partici-

pants from 14 Green Dot countries has now

been launched. The results of local environ-

mental projects will be incorporated into

the international work of the youth parlia-

ment. The young participants will present

Open Letters to representatives from dif-

ferent sectors of society at the 3rd Inter-

national PRO EUROPE Congress in Paris in

October 2006 in order to highlight environ-

mental problems and call for solutions.

1) European Commission Communication, Takingsustainable use of resources forward: A ThematicStrategy on the prevention and recycling of waste,COM (2005) 666.


PRO EUROPE S.P.R.L.


8

Joachim Quoden

When and why was PRO EUROPEfounded?PRO EUROPE, the Brussels-based Packag-

ing Recovery Organisation Europe s.p.r.l.,

was founded in 1995 by Der Grüne Punkt–

Duales System Deutschland GmbH (DSD),

Eco-Emballages S.A. France, asbl FOST Plus

Belgium vzw and ARA Altstoff Recycling

Austria AG. PRO EUROPE is the umbrella

organisation of all national producer re-

sponsibility systems as well as the platform

for an exchange of information and the

ongoing development of packaging re-

covery in Europe. One of PRO EUROPE’s

main goals is to avoid trade barriers in the

implementation of EU Directive 2004/12/EC

on packaging and packaging waste. National

and European waste policy must not hin-

der the promotion of the free movement

of goods between Member States, which

means that the organisation of packaging

recovery can only function throughout

Europe if the individual States work

together. In this sense, an important goal

of the organisation is to harmonise the ser-

vices offered by the national systems and to

develop packaging recycling and recovery

to an even greater extent.

What are the tasks of the organisation?The primary task of PRO EUROPE is to

award the Green Dot financing mark to

qualified national collection and recov-

ery systems. In 1996, DSD granted PRO

EUROPE the right to use the Green Dot

trademark in the form of a general licence

for the entire territory of the European

Union (with the exception of Germany),

the European Economic Area and EU

candidate countries. The main task of

PRO EUROPE’s members is to organise

the introduction of adequate national

collection systems, particularly for sales

packaging and subsequent recovery.

Since its foundation PRO EUROPE

has become the hub of a European network

which organises exchanges of experience

and know-how between the national com-

pliance schemes. This ranges from establish-

ing bilateral contacts to organising regular

meetings between all 27 systems (21 EU

Member States, four candidate countries,

Norway and Canada). There are also a num-

ber of working groups on specialised topics

such as technology, marketing, packaging

waste prevention and system development.

Via the working groups, PRO EUROPE’s

members have become important discus-

sion partners for the European Commis-

sion and the European Parliament, and have

presented detailed position papers on key

policies such as the revision of Directive

94/62/EC on packaging and packaging

waste, the current review of Directive

75/442/EEC on waste (Waste Framework

Directive) and the Commission’s report on

the implementation of Directive 94/62/EC.

The working groups have also examined

the clarification of definition-based ques-

tions, for instance what falls under “pack-

aging” and “products”. All position papers

are readily available on PRO EUROPE’s

website (www.pro-europe.info). Interna-

tional cooperation between producer re-

sponsibility organisations has led to the

creation of numerous European proj-

ects on a variety of issues such as preven-

tion and environmental education. PRO

EUROPE’s goal is to continue to encourage

this international collaboration. The Youth

Eco-Parliament®, for example, exemplifies

international cooperation and citizens’

involvement in tackling environmental

issues (www.eyep.info).

How does a national compliance schemebecome a member of PRO EUROPE?The system has to be nationally approved

and must agree to respect the meaning of

the Green Dot trademark, which indicates

that a financial contribution has been paid


9

E U R O P E

to a national recovery system that was estab-

lished according to the principles of Direc-

tive 94/62/EC and prevailing national le-

gislation for the packaging on which it is

printed. The principle of “Uniformity in

Diversity”applies, meaning that the national

producer responsibility organisations all

have their own special features and do not

necessarily offer the same services. How-

ever, in spite of their differences, all the sys-

tems have the same goals: operation of the

system in a transparent way, running the

system in the interest and with the consent

of fillers, retailers and packaging producers,

packaging prevention, optimising recycling

and recovery, environmental education as

well as the conservation of resources.

What advantages do producer responsi-bility schemes offer to internationalcompanies?The advantages of a uniform financing

model for the implementation of producer

responsibility in the field of packaging

waste are quite clear. In an effort to har-

monise the national services of its mem-

bers, the Green Dot licence agreements in

the different countries have a similar struc-

ture. Moreover, the licensees do not need

to affix any other financing mark to their

packaging, therefore encouraging simpli-

fication and efficiency.

The national Green Dot organisations

are cooperating more and more closely in

the field of consulting and advice in order

to simplify exports for international cus-

tomers. For instance, PRO EUROPE mem-

bers offer a cross-border information and

consulting service. Companies wishing to

export packed goods from Germany to the

Czech Republic, for example, can obtain

information from DSD and viceversa. With

so many of PRO EUROPE’s member coun-

tries bordering each other, this inter-

national cooperation between the members

will be extended to an even greater extent

in future. This is shown above all by the

organisations set up by industry in the ten

“new”EU Member States, in Turkey, Bulga-

ria and Romania.

As a member of PRO EUROPE these

organisations can profit from the experience

of other member countries, avoid poten-

tial problems on the basis of this experience

and simplify the import and export trade

for their customers.

How do you expect the producerresponsibility schemes to develop inter-nationally? What are their prospects?PRO EUROPE’s membership already

stretches across Europe from Turkey to Ire-

land, and beyond to Canada. This shows

that the principle of producer responsibil-

ity in the area of packaging waste manage-

ment has become a recognised model for

achieving efficient management of pack-

aging and packaging waste, even beyond

European frontiers. PRO EUROPE has also

begun to work with neighbouring Euro-

pean countries, such as Ukraine, offering

advice and sharing expertise on packaging

waste management.

The OECD, which has been involved

in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

since 1994, expressively points to the success

that can be achieved by introducing a take-

back obligation for packaging. The OECD

emphasises both the importance and suit-

ability of the EPR principle in achieving the

goals of avoiding and reducing waste:

greater use of recycled materials in produc-

tion also increases the efficiency of resource-

utilisation. This is why the OECD recom-

mends the introduction of appropriate

legislation. Thanks to producer responsi-

bility systems, more than 20.5 million ton-

nes of packaging waste were recovered in

PRO EUROPE countries in 2005. PRO

EUROPE and its member organisations will

continue to ecologically and economically

optimise packaging waste recycling and

recovery by means of intensive cooper-

ation. It is important to recognise synergies,

to make use of them and to structure the

individual systems in a compatible way.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• More than 130,000 companies are licensees of the GreenDot, and over 460 billion packaging items have beenlabelled with the symbol.

• A total of 490 million inhabitants live in countries withestablished PRO EUROPE member schemes.

• More than 20.5 million tonnes of packaging were re-covered in 2005.

• More than 1.6 million tonnes of plastic packaging wererecycled in 2005.

PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l.Rue Martin V 40, 1200 Brussels, Belgium

Phone: (+32-2) 2 30 00 67Fax: (+32-2) 7 34 62 85

E-mail: [email protected] www.pro-europe.info, www.proeurope-congress.com


ARA SYSTEM

COMPETENT PARTNER FOR INDUSTRY

10

of 700,466 tonnes and, as in the previous

year, consequently fulfilled and even sur-

passed the set recycling targets for all pack-

aging materials collected from households,

industry and trade.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?All domestic and foreign producers, im-

porters, fillers and distributors of pack-

aging can sign a de-obligation and licence

agreement with ARA AG. In doing so, they

simultaneously agree to report all quan-

tities of packaging they put into circulation

and to pay the corresponding licence fees.

As a result they are exempted from the obli-

gations stipulated by the Austrian Pack-

aging Ordinance for these quantities of

packaging.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?In order to provide a nationwide collection,

sorting and recovery service throughout

Austria, the ARA System has concluded cor-

responding agreements with more than 450

Austrian municipalities and waste manage-

ment associations, with over 200 waste

management companies and with numer-

ous recyclers. ARA AG, which is respon-

sible for the conclusion of all licence agree-

ments as well as for system funding and

communication within the ARA System,

also supports the activities of some 230

waste management consultants through-

out Austria by means of personnel cost sub-

sidies and project funding. This group of

individuals performs important public rela-

tions work in informing consumers, thus

making a significant contribution to the

public’s acceptance of separate collection.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?The legal mandate to keep packaging waste

out of landfills and to forward it for recov-

ery has been fulfilled impressively. The vol-

ume of packaging waste consigned to land-

fill has been reduced by more than 80 per

cent since 1994. The actual quantities that

are landfilled are much lower than the statu-

tory limits for all packaging materials (glass,

plastics, paper/cardboard, metals and com-

posites). The ARA System is constantly striv-

ing to improve its structures in order to

make collection and recovery more efficient

than ever. In 2004/05 the old lightweight

packaging collection was replaced by a plas-

tic bottle collection service. In many regions

throughout Austria, this means that the sep-

arate collection of lightweight packaging is

now focussing on that fraction that is easi-

est to sort and recycle, namely the plastic

bottle. Any other lightweight packaging is

collected with municipal residual waste and

forwarded for energetic use in waste incin-

eration plants or thermal recovery in indus-

trial combustion systems. This changeover

also allows the ARA System to meet the

requirements of the Austrian Landfill Sites

Ordinance.

Since 2003 waste prevention has been

one of the statutory obligations of the ARA

System. Its commitment ranges from the

creation of an endowed professorship for

resources management at the Technical Uni-

versity of Vienna to the promotion of waste-

preventing measures in small and medium-

sized companies.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?The separate collection of packaging has

become second nature in Austria. Accord-

ARA LICENSING COSTSAverage costs in euros per tonne of packaging material

300

250

200

150

100

310 euros

141 euros

Total reduction ofcosts in 2006: 134 m euroscompared to 1995

Christian Mayer

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The system is based on the Austrian Pack-

aging Ordinance and the Waste Manage-

ment Act. The supervisory authority is the

Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture,

Forestry, Environment and Water Manage-

ment. Collection and recovery systems

must be authorised by the Environment

Ministry. Furthermore, they must fulfil the

prescribed collection and recovery targets

and promote measures for preventing waste.

In 2005, the ARA System recovered a total

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006


11

A U S T R I A

ing to a representative survey conducted

for the ARA System, 91 per cent of the con-

sumers collect packaging material sepa-

rately, 68 per cent of them do so regularly.

The survey also confirms the system’s high

acceptance by industry. Decision makers

in industry see the system as a “sensible

institution” and a competent and efficient

partner for fulfilling their obligations under

the Packaging Ordinance.

The tariff reductions for the year 2006

will bring industry savings to the order of

14 million euros as compared to 2005. If

the prices for 1995 are taken as the basis,

the total savings in 2006 will come to 134

million euros.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?No statutory changes are to be expected at

present. However, the new collection tar-

HOW ARE THE LICENCE FEES CALCULATED?

Packaging material type

Fees in euros/kg (excl. VAT)

from 1.1.2006

from 1.1.2005

0.105

0.045

0.078

0.023

0.290

0.290

0.150

0.410

0.420

0.690

0.310

0.563

0.230

0.230

0.105

0.045

0.069

0.023

0.290

0.220

0.110

0.370

0.265

0.620

0.260

0.563

0.190

0.190

1.1 Sales packaging made of paper, cardboard, corrugated board and paper bags

1.2 Transport packaging made of paper, cardboard, corrugated board

2 Non-reusable glass packaging

3 Wood

4 Ceramics

5.1 Small ferrous metals < 3 l

5.2 Large ferrous metals ≥ 3 l and metal bands/strapping

5.3 Aluminium

6 Textiles

7 Small plastics < 1.5 m2 or < 0.15 kg, hollow bodies < 5 l, EPS < 0.1 kg, bags/net bags < 25 l, shopping bags, multipacks

7.1 EPS (e.g. Styrofoam®) >_ 0.1 kg

8 Composites (excluding beverage cartons)

9 Industrial/trade and large plastic packaging (ITP)

9.1 Pallet wraps >_ 1.5 m2, tray wraps >_ 0.25 m2

(>_ 6 sales units – food, >_ 3 sales units – non-food), plastic bands/strapping

9.2 Hollow bodies ≥ 5 l bags/net bags ≥ 25 l (not shopping bags), cartridges, moulded bodies >_ 0.15 kg (excl. EPS)

gets introduced in connection with the Aus-

trian Landfill Sites Ordinance will come

into force in 2006. They have been increased

to 95 per cent for plastic packaging and

composites and, as such, are the highest

in Europe.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?Some far-reaching changes are to be ex-

pected in the recovery sector. One import-

ant step is “bottle to bottle” recycling of

PET bottles, which allows old drink bottles

to be used for the production of new drink

bottles. In addition, stronger competition

is to be expected in the household sector

in future. The ARA System will take this

opportunity to present itself as a compe-

tent service partner for industry and to

strengthen its position as market leader with

an attractive cost-performance ratio.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?With the aim of fulfilling their obligations under thePackaging Ordinance as efficiently as possible, the mostimportant companies affected by this legislationfounded ARA AG in spring 1993. The ARA System con-sists of ARA AG as well as eight branch recycling com-panies which specialise in correct and cost-efficient collection, sorting and recovery of the individual pack-aging materials.

How many regular members of staff are employed?Some 125 (as of January 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?More than 14,000 licensees (as of January 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?The ARA System collects both transport and sales packaging arising in households, similar establishmentsand small businesses, as well as packaging from industry and trade.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?In accordance with the valid licence tariffs, licensees pay a packaging-specific licence fee depending on thematerial and weight.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?No.

ARA Altstoff Recycling Austria AGMariahilfer Straße 1231062 Vienna, Austria

Phone: (+43-1) 5 99 97-0 Fax: (+43-1) 5 95 35 35

E-mail: [email protected] www.ara.at, www.arasystem.at


ÇEVKO

FROM SELF-HELP ORGANISATION TO RECOGNISED SYSTEM

12

Mete Imer

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The packaging recovery and recycling ob-

ligation is based on the Regulation on

the Control of Packaging and Packaging

Waste which has been in effect since

1 January 2005. The basis for this regula-

tion is EU Directive (94/62/EC). The regu-

lation essentially sets recovery targets for

plastics, metals, glass, paper/cardboard and

composites. The overall recovery target is

to reach 60 per cent by weight by 2014.

Packaging waste includes sales, group and

transport packaging waste. The economic

operators, i.e. the suppliers of packaged

products to the internal market (brand

owners) as well as packaging producers and

importers, are responsible for fulfilling the

recovery targets. However, the primary

party responsible is the brand owner, and

brand owners can transfer their recovery

responsibility to a recovery organisation

authorised by the Ministry of Environment

and Forestry. ÇEVKO has been authorised

by the Ministry as the recovery organisa-

tion for all types of packaging.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Economic operators can transfer their re-

covery obligations to ÇEVKO and become

licensees by signing a “Service and Sub-

licence Agreement” with ÇEVKO.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?ÇEVKO either signs three-party recovery

contracts between ÇEVKO, the local author-

ity and a waste management company, or

it signs contracts directly with licensed waste

management companies. The contracts

specify the duties and responsibilities as

well as financial support for the collection

and sorting of packaging waste. The duties

of ÇEVKO in these contracts are in general:

to cooperate with the municipality in

preparing municipal waste management

plans; to promote collection at source by

organising awareness campaigns; to set up

a financial support model for the contract

partner based on the packaging waste col-

lection/sorting costs and the secondary

material prices achieved.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?The system provides an indirect incentive

to reduce the weight of packaging. Reduced

packaging weight means less has to be

recovered and recycled and this helps to

save costs. Although the system was only

authorised in 2005, the voluntary activities

of all parties including ÇEVKO have allowed

more than one million tonnes of pack-

aging material to be recycled since 1991,

thus saving energy and natural resources.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?The greatest achievement of ÇEVKO can

be described as the voluntary implemen-

tation of many separate collection pilot

projects in which citizens have been par-

ticipating actively since 1991. ÇEVKO’s

activities have helped to improve general

environmental awareness during this

period. Nevertheless, the year 2005, when

the regulation on packaging and packaging

waste came into effect, is an important

milestone for ÇEVKO as an authorised


13

T U R K E Y

17,776

56,202

161,637

35

33

20,613

58,519

188,210

recovery organisation. In 2005, ÇEVKO

collaborated with 12 major local authori-

ties and has already set up a municipality-

wide separate collection system in four of

these municipalities.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?No major changes are expected.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?ÇEVKO hopes to increase the number of

separate collection schemes and to extend

municipal recovery, i.e. with more pro-

grammes and more citizens participating.

Parallel to this, ÇEVKO expects the system

to develop positively with the effective

cooperation of all partners.

RECOVERY TARGETS AND RESULTS 2005

Packagingmaterial type

Packaging takenover by ÇEVKO

(tonnes)

Statutory recovery

target (%)

134,350

59,253

191,990

175,631

31,345

592,576

32

30

20

32

20*

Plastics

Metals

Paper/cardboard

Glass

Composites

TOTAL


Packaging material type Fees in YTL/tonne

79.08

45.36

19.08

54.60

10.80

7.60

126.00

PET

Other plastics

Steel

Aluminium

Paper/cardboard

Glass

Composites

To compare our fees to those of other Green Dot organisations, these figures should be related to the totalweight of packaging placed on the market. To this end, simply multiply the “fees per tonnes collected”with the statutory recovery target for each material.In this case: PET – 27.68 YTL/tonne; other plastics – 15.88 YTL/tonne; steel – 6.30 YTL/tonne;aluminium – 18.02 YTL/tonne; paper/cardboard – 3.24 YTL/tonne; glass – 2.66 YTL/tonne;composites – 37.80 YTL/tonne

Our 2006 Green Dot fees are based on the weight of packaging to be collected and recovered:

* Regarding the recovery of composite packaging, the material component with the highest weight istaken as the basis.

Statutory recovery targets for 2006: plastics: 35%, metals: 33%, paper/cardboard: 30%, glass: 35%.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?The system was founded by leading companies (fillersand packaging producers) in December 1991 as a result of an industrial commitment to help implement a packaging waste management system in Turkey.Practical operation started in 1992.

How many regular members of staff are employed?14 employees (as of March 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?275 licensees (as of March 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?The system covers all three types of packaging, i.e. sales,group and transport packaging, from households,sales points, commercial locations (hotels, restaurants,etc.) and industrial facilities.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?According to the Turkish Regulation on the Control of Packaging and Packaging Waste, “economicoperators”, i.e. packaged product suppliers (brand owners) and packaging producers/importers, have to finance the collection, sorting and recovery of thepackaging waste.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?Starting from 2007, yes.

ÇEVKO, Environmental Protection & Packaging Waste

Recovery & Recycling TrustCenap Sehabettin Sok. No: 94

34718 Kosuyolu, Istanbul, TurkeyPhone: (+90-216) 4 28 78 90

Fax: (+90-216) 4 28 78 95E-mail: [email protected], www.cevko.org.tr


DER GRÜNE PUNKT – DUALES SYSTEM DEUTSCHLAND GMBH

MODERN ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE PROVIDER

14

Dr. Heike Schiffler

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The system is based on the “Ordinance on

the Avoidance and Recovery of Packaging

Waste” which entered into force on 12 June

1991 and was amended for the fourth time

on 7 January 2006 to comply with the EC

Packaging Directive among other things.

The Packaging Ordinance obliges manu-

facturers, fillers and distributors of trans-

port, secondary and sales packaging to take

back their used packaging and forward it

for recycling. As a result of participation

in a dual system, these companies are ex-

empted from their take-back and recovery

obligations for sales packaging. In ac-

cordance with the statutory provisions,

Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutsch-

land GmbH (DSD) organises the consumer-

oriented and nationwide collection, recov-

ery and recycling of sales packaging. In

addition, DSD must meet the recovery and

recycling targets set by the amended Pack-

aging Ordinance (see table). The calculation

basis is the quantity of packaging licensed

in a dual system or with DSD respectively.

The recovery and recycling rates achieved

are documented in the annual mass flow

verification which is submitted to the envi-

ronment ministries of the Federal States.

The targets must be fulfilled in order to

exempt industry and trade from their take-

back obligations. (More information about

the Packaging Ordinance is available at

www.gruener-punkt.de or www.bmu.de.)

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?All packaging manufacturers, fillers or dis-

tributors of sales packaging domiciled in the

states of the European Economic Area may

participate. Similarly, companies from coun-

tries in which the Green Dot is used as the

financing symbol for packaging recycling

may join the system.If products are imported

from non-European countries, they are gen-

erally licensed by the importer or import-

ing trading company based in Germany.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?DSD is obliged to reach an agreement with

around 450 local authorities responsible

for waste management (municipalities and

districts). DSD awards contracts to private

and municipal waste management com-

panies for the collection of recyclable waste

from consumers’ homes and transporta-

tion to the sorting and recycling plants.

Since 2003, these contracts have been

awarded on the basis of tenders received

from the waste management industry

nationwide.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?Since being founded, DSD has forwarded

some 65 million tonnes of sales packaging

for recycling and recovery. In other words,

the company has substantially reduced the

volume of waste consigned to landfills and

waste incineration plants and, at the same

time, has made a significant contribution

to the conservation of resources and cli-

mate protection. In the year 2005 alone,

DSD saved some 71 billion megajoules of

RECOVERY AND RECYCLING TARGETS AND RESULTS


60

60

60

70

70

75

157

75

64

117

100

97

Aluminium

Plastics

Composites

Paper/cardboard

Tinplate

Glass

Statutory recovery target (%)

Recovery target achieved in 2005 (%)*

* Recovery targets over 100 per cent show that DSD has recovered more packaging than was licensed withthe company.


15

G E R M A N Y

primary energy by recovering and recycling

packaging waste. Furthermore, the fact that

the licence fees are governed by packaging

weight and material in line with the user-

pays principle gives companies an incentive

to substantially reduce material and resource

consumption and to use recyclable pack-

aging materials to an even greater extent.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?The household-oriented collection and

sorting of used sales packaging is well

accepted in Germany. 90 per cent of the peo-

ple are in favour of the separate collection

of waste and want to keep on collecting

their used packaging in yellow bags or recyc-

lable waste bins in future. In 2005 alone,

each consumer collected 63 kilograms of

used packaging on average. Many see this

as their most important personal contri-

bution to environmental protection. Other

dual systems have been permitted in Ger-

many since 2003. Against this background

of growing competition, DSD is confident

of its strength as a competent and cost-

efficient environmental service provider.

The company’s goal is the ongoing devel-

opment of the consumer-friendly, house-

hold-oriented and ecologically beneficial

collection of recyclables in Germany. The

nationwide collection and recovery of

packaging waste at a high level, the pro-

motion of innovative sorting and recovery

techniques and the close cooperation with

26 international system partners are the

basis for stable business development in

the coming years.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?The fourth amendment of the Packaging

Ordinance entered into force on 7 Janu-

ary 2006. It supplements the terms and

definitions for packaging and sets new

targets for the recovery and recycling of


Packaging material type Fees in euro cents/kg valid from 1.1.2006

135.0

104.5

77.5

75.6

28.0

18.0

10.2

7.6

Plastics

Composites

Composite cartons

Aluminium

Tinplate

Paper/cardboard

Natural materials

Glass

the individual packaging materials. Ac-

cording to this, by 31 December 2008 at

least 60 per cent by weight of the pack-

aging waste must be recovered and

55 per cent by weight of this must be re-

cycled. A fifth amendment of the Pack-

aging Ordinance is currently being pre-

pared. The reason for this is the increas-

ing amount of packaging in yellow bags

and bins for which no licence fees have

been paid. A new ruling advocating a

clear separation of the activities of self

compliers in the commercial sector and

dual systems in the household sector

would lead to more transparent and fairer

competition. This would also ensure that

each manufacturer and filler circulating

sales packaging to private consumers

would participate in the cost of house-

hold-oriented waste management.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?Today, packaging recycling in Germany

is characterised by keener competition

and a persistently high cost pressure. As

a result of the growing number of firms

offering waste management services, the

waste management chain is becoming less

transparent. DSD is asserting itself as a

credible, economic, efficient and effec-

tive partner in this difficult environment.

Some striking examples here are its core

competence in household-oriented recyc-

lable waste collection and its reliable

cooperation with the local authorities,

waste management firms, trade and in-

dustry. The company is also developing

solutions that are specially tailored to the

customers’ needs in new fields of business,

for instance the disposal of electrical and

electronic equipment and the deposit for

one-way packaging and transport pack-

aging. The goal is to further enhance

economic efficiency and to position the

company as a successful competence centre

for the closed-cycle economy.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?DSD was founded on 28 September 1990 by 95 companies from the packaging and consumer goodsindustry and the trade. Business operation started on 1 August 1991.

How many regular members of staff are employed?309 members of staff (as of May 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?Some 18,000 licensees (as of March 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?The system collects sales packaging made of glass,paper/cardboard, aluminium, tinplate, plastics andcomposites from private households, similar wasteproduction locations (e.g. restaurants, administrativeoffices, hospitals) and small businesses nationwide.In principle there are two system types: kerbside and bring.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The collection, sorting and recovery of the packagingwaste is financed with the licence fees paid by manufac-turers or distributors for the right to use the Green Dottrademark. The licence fee is calculated by multiplyingthe weight of all materials used with the respectivematerial prices. Thanks to optimised sorting and recyc-ling techniques, the Green Dot is some 50 per centcheaper today than in the initial phase, taking accountof adjustments for inflation.


Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutschland GmbH

51170 Cologne, GermanyPhone: (+49-2203) 9 37-0Fax: (+49-2203) 9 37-190



16

ECOEMBALAJES ESPAÑA, S.A. (ECOEMBES)

EFFICIENT RECOVERY AND PREVENTION

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The system is based on Law 11/1997 of

24 April 1997 on packaging and packaging

waste which obliges producers or distrib-

utors of household packaging to partici-

pate either in an Integrated Management

System (IMS) or a Deposit, Collection and

Return System (DCR). Commercial and

industrial packaging is not subject to these

obligations. Law 11/1997 was developed

in accordance with European Directive

94/62/EC, its purpose being to prevent and

reduce the impact of packaging waste on

the environment. The Law also deals with

the handling of packaging and packaging

waste throughout its life cycle and sets a

series of recycling and recovery targets for

Spain that are to be met within a five-year

period. The aim of Spanish Law 11/1997 is

to adjust national standards governing the

handling of packaging and packaging waste

to such an extent as to meet the obligations

set in the EC Packaging Directive. Further-

more, Spanish Law 11/1997 stipulates a

reduction target of at least ten per cent by

weight of the total packaging waste gener-

ated for the year 2001.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Licensees have to sign a contract, pay

a licence fee and draw up an annual dec-

laration of all packaging placed on the

market. When an EU company joins, a list

of its customers in Spain must also be

filed. The Ecoembes membership fee is

321 euros for companies invoicing less than

six million euros a year, and 642 euros for

all others.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?In Spain, municipalities are legally respon-

sible for – and have the obligation to imple-

ment – Selective Waste Recovery Systems.

Ecoembes has to sign Cooperation Agree-

ments with the local and regional author-

ities (public administrations) to start selec-

tive collection. Ecoembes pays the local

authorities the extra cost of selective col-

lection, i.e. the difference between the cost

of traditional waste recovery and the cost

of packaging waste recovery. Additionally,

Ecoembes offers technical support to pub-

lic administrations on how to set up recov-

ery systems.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?In Spain, more than 1,850,000 tonnes of

packaging waste were forwarded for recov-

ery, as opposed to being consigned to land-

fill, in 2004. 64 per cent of this figure con-

sists of the materials managed by Ecoembes

(paper/cardboard, beverage cartons, metals

and plastics), while glass packaging accounts

for 36 per cent. In Spain, glass packaging is

managed by Ecovidrio. This compliance

scheme with around 2,300 licensees has an

agreement with Ecoembes as regards the

use of the Green Dot symbol. It was only

possible to recover such a large quantity

thanks to the joint efforts of all parties

participating in the Compliance Scheme.

Around 2,400 companies participated in

Ecoembes’ second sectorial Prevention Plan



Statutory recovery

target 2008 (%)

60.0

-

-

-

-

63.8 51.5

61.7

68.6

25.9

45.1

55.0–80.0

50.0

60.0

22.5

60.0

Metals

Paper/cardboard(includes beverage cartons)

Plastics

Glass (managed by Ecovidrio):

Recovery target achieved

in 2005 (%)

Statutory recycling

target 2008 (%)

Recycling target achieved

in 2005 (%)

Total packaging waste recovered in 2005: 1,245,188 tonnes (by Ecoembes)744,600 tonnes (by Ecovidrio)

Total packaging waste recycled in 2005: 1,004,284 tonnes (by Ecoembes)744,600 tonnes (by Ecovidrio)

Mercedes Díaz Cobo


17

S PA I N

which was in force from 2003 to May 2006.

To date, these companies have implemented

more than 5,200 prevention measures per-

taining to the packaging they place on the

Spanish market. Ecoembes will be present-

ing the third sectorial Prevention Plan to

the Regional Authorities in 2006. With this

concept, which is scheduled to run from

2006 to 2008, Ecoembes is once again

underlining its commitment to the preven-

tion of packaging waste.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?43 million out of 44.1 million Spanish con-

sumers can take advantage of the selective

collection of packaging waste, with 41.4

million having access to paper/cardboard

collection and 39 million to lightweight

packaging collection (metals, plastics, bev-

erage cartons).

With a view to increasing consumer

participation in the selective collection of

packaging waste, Ecoembes is actively sup-

porting communication and awareness

campaigns designed to reach the set goal.

Ecoembes has around 12,000 licensees at

present. This goes to show that the system

is widely acknowledged as an efficient

instrument for fulfilling the legal obliga-

tions placed on the Spanish business com-

munity and subsequently delegated to

Ecoembes – and, what is more, at a reason-

able cost. However, it is not just industry

but also the public administrations at

central, regional and local level that see

Ecoembes as an effective compliance

scheme and a successful tool for implement-

ing selective packaging waste collection with

a view to fulfilling the recycling and recov-

ery targets set in Spanish law and the Euro-

pean Packaging Directive.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?Once the new Directive 2004/12/EC which

modifies Directive 94/62/EC on packaging

and packaging waste was adopted, the

Spanish Ministry of Environment started

to revise current packaging and pack-

aging waste legislation. This revision is

expected to identify key aspects for

improvement and to strengthen the fulfil-

ment of certain provisions such as pre-

vention and documentation. In this way,

national legislation will be brought into

closer conformity with the practical ex-

perience gathered in the course of the

last five-year period.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?The focal point of the system’s activities in

the next few years will be determined by

the new recycling and recovery targets.

There is no doubt that meeting these ambi-

tious targets will pose a major challenge for

Spain. With a view to better fulfilling the

new stringent targets, the Integrated Man-

agement System will work in close liaison

with the Public Administrations. To this

end, the emphasis will be placed on the fol-

lowing three-tier strategy:

• increasing the Spanish citizens’ motivation

to separate their domestic waste

• improving the efficiency of the selective

collection systems, and

• developing market conditions for second-

ary raw materials.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?Official registration was on 22 November 1996,and the start of business operation on 1 May 1998.Ecoembes was founded by companies and business organisations representing all industrial sectorsinvolved in the value chain for packaging.

How many regular members of staff are employed?87 employees (as of January 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?12,000 (as of January 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?Ecoembes is primarily responsible for householdpackaging. In addition to covering mainly private households on a nationwide basis, it also covers thewholesale trade and small businesses on a voluntarybasis but only where the municipalities handle selective collection.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?Ecoembes’ activities are financed by the contributions of the licensees. All of them pay a membership fee when they join the system and a fee for each item of packaging placed on the market.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?Spanish law stipulates a marking obligation (packaging identification) and therefore all packaginglicensed in the Integrated Management System must carry the Green Dot symbol.

Ecoembalajes España, S. A.c/Orense 4-8ª planta28020 Madrid, Spain

Phone: (+34-91) 5 67 24 03Fax: (+34-91) 5 98 06 24


Packaging material type Fees in euros/kg in 2006 (excl. VAT)

0.247

0.280

0.051

0.212

0.059

0.102

0.019

0.018

0.007800.003900.00293

0.261

PET and HDPE (rigid/hollow bodies)

HDPE flexible, LDPE and others plastics

Paper/cardboard

Beverage cartons

Steel

Aluminium

Wood and cork

Ceramics

Glass (managed by Ecovidrio):> 500 cm3

> 125 cm3, < 500 cm3

< 125 cm3

Other materials

Regarding Green Dot fees 2006/2007, the fee for plastics has been split up into two categories.

The fees include material costs and the tonnage of all materials recovered. The fee depends on the type ofpackaging material and on its weight and volume.



ECO-EMBALLAGES S.A.

FLEXIBLE FRENCH CONNECTION

18

Philippe Marie

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?Eco-Emballages S.A. is based on Lalonde

Decree No. 92-377 on Household Packaging

Waste of 1 April 1992, which was named

for the environment minister in office at

that time. It states that a company must be

established to take over the recovery and

recycling of household packaging. More-

over, it obliges the filling industry and

importers to accept responsibility for their

packaged products. At the same time, the

local authorities also retain their traditional

responsibility for waste. French packaging

legislation also consists of the Decree on

Commercial and Industrial Waste of 13 July

1994, the Decree on Departmental Plans of

18 November 1996, and the Decree on

Essential Requirements of 20 July 1998.

EC Directive 94/62/EC was transposed

into national law on 2 February 1995. With

reference to the recovery and recycling of

household packaging waste, a further com-

pany was granted registration in 1996:

Adelphe.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Companies willing to take part must accept

responsibility for the packaged goods they

first place on the market. The system is open

to packers, fillers, importers and distribu-

tors – except for private labels.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?Eco-Emballages signs six-year contracts

with the local authorities agreeing to sup-

port them financially – not with invest-

ments but on the basis of the results of selec-

tive collection. Support is given for each

sorted tonne. Eco-Emballages also supports

communication with citizens and con-

sumers at local level. The company offers

the option of a take-back guarantee with a

minimum price to the local authorities so

that they have no problem marketing their

secondary materials. A major function of

Eco-Emballages is also to advise local

authorities and their associations on the

installation of a selective collection system

and subsequent treatment of the collected

packaging in the most environmentally

responsible way. Eco-Emballages develops

different tools and training programmes to

enable the “Ambassadeurs du tri„ – i.e. com-

munication staff of the local authorities

who are responsible for maintaining direct

contact with the inhabitants – to become

professionals in educating the general pub-

lic to sort and recycle their waste.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?Eco-Emballages has developed an envi-

ronmental policy that follows two com-

plementary paths. On the one hand pre-

vention and on the other hand an assess-

ment of the eco-efficiency of recycling

through the development of surveys and

tools. As far as prevention is concerned,

Eco-Emballages gives an incentive by way

of its scale of fees. Making packaging lighter

and reducing the number of components

used to pack a product reduces the fees.

Though consumption trends have multi-

plied the number of packaging units in the

past few years, prevention efforts (see exam-

ples at www.conseil emballages.org) have

ensured that global household packaging

production in 2000 was the same as in 1994,

amounting to 4.7 million tonnes.



Statutoryrecovery

target 2003

-

-

-

-

-

93

38

94

65

71

94

25

52

20

71

75

30

50

21.5

65

Tinplate

Aluminium

Paper/cardboard(includes composites)

Plastics

Glass


in 2005 (%)

Statutory recycling target

2008 (%)


in 2005 (%)

Total packaging waste recovered in 2005: 3.5 million tonnesTotal packaging waste recycled in 2005: 2.8 million tonnes


19

F R A N C E

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?At the end of 2004, 53 out of 60 million

French people were able to sort their pack-

aging. About 80 per cent of the population

participates in selective collection.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?In 2003 Eco-Emballages renegotiated its

approval and its contract with the local

authorities. To be in line with the real con-

ditions prevailing in the municipalities, Eco-

Emballages will have to extend its scope of

activities beyond the recycling of house-

hold packaging alone and will also have to

cover commercial packaging waste in future.

In addition, Eco-Emballages is willing to

help with the setting up of national com-

pliance schemes – other than packaging –

to ensure that they benefit from its experi-

ence and are flexibly integrated into exist-

ing selective collection schemes. Within the

framework of the Finance Act of 2004,

Members of Parliament voted for a law

obliging companies responsible for circu-

lating addressed or non-addressed adver-

tising to finance the collection and recyc-

ling of this material. Eco-Emballages could

represent local authorities in setting up and

managing a system for this type of mater-

ial, the collection of which is very often

combined with that of household cardboard

packaging. Eco-Emballages has also put its

experience and expertise at the disposal of

companies producing electrical and elec-

tronic waste for the development of a col-

lection system for this type of waste which

is collectively termed WEEE (Waste Elec-

trical and Electronic Equipment). The Euro-

pean Union (EU) has adopted a Directive

(2002/96/CE) to reduce the amount of

waste from electrical and electronic equip-

ment and increase recycling. Increased recyc-

ling of electrical and electronic equipment

will limit the total quantity of waste for dis-

posal. The EU believes this will provide

incentives for a more environment-friendly

product design that takes account of all

aspects of waste management.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?The new financing model includes sup-

port for optimisation measures for the first

time, i.e. it takes account of the effort made

by the local authority, from one year to the

next, to improve its collection and sorting

performance and, at the same time, to keep

its costs within limits. While respecting the

skills and responsibilities of one another, it

is a common goal of Eco-Emballages and

the local authorities to act upon the mar-

gins of progress and forge ahead with the

development of packaging recycling. This

involves better coordination of all exist-

ing and future systems as well as coherent,

simplified and ongoing consumer infor-

mation. Eco-Emballages also intends to

intensify its prevention activities in future.

Fee per pack:

• If the weight- and material-specific fee is greater than or equal to 0.0011 euros, then total fee = fee byweight + fee per pack capped at 0.0011 euros.

• If the weight and material-specific fee is less than 0.0011 euros, then total fee = fee by weight x 2.• If pack > 1 kg: the weight-based fee has been calculated for 1 kg since 2000.• If a member uses a pack with over 50 per cent recycled content, the fee will be reduced by 10 per cent to

compensate for any extra weight.• If a member replaces a rigid pack that has a recycling outlet with one that has not, then the fee will be

doubled.


Fees in euros/kg for 2006

0.0226

0.0453

0.1221

0.1778

0.0036

0.1221

Steel

Aluminium

Paper/cardboard

Plastics

Glass

Other materials


The fee for each piece of packaging is calculated on the basis of the material and weight plus a unit fee,i.e. a fee capped at 0.0011 euros per pack.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?The system was officially registered on 12 August 1992and started business operation on 12 November of the same year. Eco-Emballages was created on theinitiative of industry and approved by the FrenchGovernment. The shareholders of the company areproduct and packaging material manufacturers,importers and trading companies.

How many regular members of staff are employed?167 employees (as of April 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?21,688 licensees’ contracts representing 45,000 companies (as of April 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?Eco-Emballages primarily collects packaging waste from private households all over France. The wholesaletrade and small businesses are covered on a voluntarybasis, albeit to a marginal extent and only where municipalities handle selective collection.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The work of the system is financed partly by fillers,distributors and importers of household products whopay a licence fee for the use of the Green Dot trade-mark. The remainder is financed by the tax paid by thelocal authorities.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?Yes, the marking of all packaging participating in thesystem is obligatory.

Eco-Emballages S. A.44, av. Georges Pompidou

92300 Levallois-Perret, FrancePhone: (+33-1) 40 89 99 99

Fax: (+33-1) 40 89 99 88E-mail: [email protected]

www.ecoemballages.fr


ECOPACK BULGARIA JSC

A HIGH LEVEL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

20

Nikola Doychinov

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The Waste Management Act (WMA) of

2003 obliges all producers or importers of

packed goods to achieve recycling and

recovery targets for packaging waste gen-

erated as a result of the use of the respec-

tive products. The targets are calculated on

the basis of the total quantity of packaging

placed on the market.

Companies may fulfil the specified

obligations either individually, by organis-

ing the collection and recovery of their

packaging themselves, or by joining a col-

lective system, i.e. a recovery organisation

such as EcoPack Bulgaria.

Producers and importers of packed

goods have to pay a product tax on pack-

aging to the state if the recycling and recov-

ery targets are not achieved either individ-

ually or by the collective system.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?The services offered by EcoPack Bulgaria

are aimed at producers and importers cir-

culating packed goods on the Bulgarian

market. The business relationship between

the producers/importers and EcoPack Bul-

garia is settled by a standard contract.

Companies that conclude this standard

contract with EcoPack Bulgaria transfer their

obligations to collect, recover and recycle all

packaging placed on the Bulgarian market

to the recovery organisation, regardless of

the packaging material, its intended purpose

or its potential for reuse. On signing the con-

tract, the company must notify EcoPack

Bulgaria of the type and quantity of pack-

aging it expects to place on the market.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?In order to organise the collection and sort-

ing of packaging waste, EcoPack Bulgaria

signs contracts with the local authorities and

specialised waste management companies.

Based on these contracts, EcoPack Bulgaria

then finances the installation of a collec-

tion and sorting scheme for packaging

waste. The funding is proportional to the

amount of packaging waste collected and

forwarded for recovery or recycling, taking

account of the specific conditions in each

municipality.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?EcoPack Bulgaria achieved a recycling tar-

get of 24 per cent in 2004 (statutory target

20 per cent) and 27 per cent in 2005 (statu-

tory target 25 per cent).

The separate collection of packaging

waste is organised in such as way as to tar-

get industrial and commercial waste and to

make optimum use of the existing capaci-

ties for the collection of secondary raw

materials. At the same time, EcoPack Bul-

garia is investing a lot of effort and resources

in the development of a new system for col-

lecting and sorting household packaging

in order to guarantee long-term achieve-

ment of the recycling and recovery targets.

EcoPack Bulgaria has already launched

several successful pilot projects in different

RECOVERY AND RECYCLING TARGETS


Statutory target2006 (%)

8.0

26.0

15.0

15.0

-

35.0

34.0

14.5

40.0

60.0

50.0

15.0

42.0

42.0

12.0

33.0

15.0

15.0

-

39.0

38.0

Plastics

Glass

Paper

Metals

Timber

Recovery (total)

Recycling (total)




21

B U L G A R I A

municipalities to introduce the separate

collection of packaging waste, e.g. bring

schemes with differently coloured contain-

ers and kerbside collections with plastic

bags. The collection system that is most

suitable for Bulgarian conditions will sub-

sequently be selected on the basis of the

results of these pilot projects.

In view of our services in 2005, the

Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum awarded

EcoPack Bulgaria third prize at the Annual

Responsible Business Awards in the cat-

egory Investor in the Environment.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?In order to improve public acceptance of

the separate collection of packaging waste,

EcoPack Bulgaria plans to organise promo-

tional and educational programmes target-

ing consumers, commercial outlets and

industry. These programmes first started

in the cities where EcoPack Bulgaria pilot

projects were already up and running. Spe-

cial attention is always paid to work with

children in schools and kindergartens.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?At the end of 2005 the Bulgarian Ministry

of Environment and Water started consid-


Packaging material type Fees in euros/kg for 2005

0.026

0.009

0.009

0.008

0.008

0.005

0.026

0.003

0.008

Plastics

Paper, cardboard and pasteboard

Beverage cartons

Metals

Aluminium

Glass

Composites(excluding beverage cartons)

Wood

Other materials

The licence fees are based on the material type and weight. They are paid by producers/importers ofpacked goods according to the weight of the packaging placed on the Bulgarian market per annum.

ering amendments to packaging waste legis-

lation aiming at enforcing product taxes on

packaging and increasing the role the state

plays in waste management.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?Our objective is to establish a sustainable

and efficient packaging waste management

scheme that ensures a high level of envi-

ronmental protection and in this way pro-

vides benefits to the citizens of Bulgaria.

The ongoing development of a system

for the collection of household packaging

will be a major challenge for EcoPack

Bulgaria in the years to come, especially in

view of the higher material-specific targets

set in 2005. Following the first steps in this

area, great efforts will be made to increase

the number of residents served by separate

collection schemes and to promote public

participation. Investments in additional

sorting and recycling capacities for certain

types of packaging will also be supported.

The collection and recycling of pack-

aging waste must be considered against

the backdrop of significant changes to the

general waste management policy in Bul-

garia and the creation of a completely new

recovery and disposal infrastructure in

compliance with EU requirements and

standards.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?EcoPack Bulgaria JSC is a non-profit company estab-lished in February 2004 by 18 leading Bulgarian and multinational companies from the filling andpacking branch. EcoPack Bulgaria is the first packaging recovery organisation to be licensed by the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water. The system started business operation in July 2004.

How many regular members of staff are employed?13 employees (as of December 2005).

How many licensees/members does the system have?600 members (as of December 2005) representingabout 95,000 tonnes of packaging.

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?The system covers all types of packaging generated in households, the commercial sector and industry. Atthe end of 2005, approximately 750,000 residents ofBulgaria were served by EcoPack Bulgaria collectionschemes. The collection of industrial and commercialpackaging is organised in all regional settlements.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The activities of EcoPack Bulgaria are financed by thelicence fees paid by the members. The amount remu-nerated covers only the costs incurred by the companyfor the organisation, administration and documenta-tion of the collection, recovery and recycling of pack-aging waste, as well as the realisation of information and communication campaigns to promote a responsibleattitude towards separate collection and recycling.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?In order to clearly show which collective system thepackaging belongs to, Bulgarian legislation stipulatesthat members must affix the symbol of the respectiverecovery organisation to their packaging. This meansthat the “Green Dot” symbol is the obligatory mark formembers of the EcoPack Bulgaria compliance scheme.

EcoPack Bulgaria JSC23, Mizia Street

1124 Sofia, BulgariaPhone: (+359-2) 9 43 33 54

Fax: (+359-2) 9 43 33 89E-mail: [email protected], www.ecopack.bg


ECO-ROM AMBALAJE SA

PACKAGING RECYCLING WITH A FUTURE

22

Sorin Popescu

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?Eco-Rom Ambalaje SA (ERA) is based on

Government Decision (GD) No. 621/2005

on the management of packaging and

packaging waste which came into force on

20 July 2005. This Government Decision

obliges economic operators, i.e. the manu-

facturers and importers, to fulfil annual

recovery and recycling targets for the quan-

tity of packaging they place on the market

as follows:

• Economic operators that place packed

goods on the market are responsible for

the primary, secondary and tertiary pack-

aging used to pack their products.

• Economic operators that pack packed

goods are responsible for the secondary

and tertiary packaging they place on the

market.

• Economic operators that place service

packaging (e.g. plastic/paper bags) on

the market are responsible for this pack-

aging.

The Government Decision also in-

cludes specific definitions of packaging

and packaging waste management ter-

minology.

The supervisory authority is the Min-

istry of Environment and Water Manage-

ment through the National Agency of En-

vironment.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Currently, the prerequisite condition for

companies to become licensees of the ERA

system is to be fillers and/or importers,

legally established in Romania.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?ERA provides financial and technical sup-

port to municipal Waste Management Com-

panies (WMC) wishing to implement pilot

projects under the name of ERACOLECT.

ERA signs a protocol with the municipality

and the authorised Waste Management

Companies to start the selective collection

of household packaging waste. Then ERA

signs a contract with the WMCs to pay the

extra cost of the selective collection of pack-

aging waste in the pilot projects. At present

(January 2006), ten ERACOLECT pilot proj-

ects are up and running.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?In 2005 almost 69,500 tonnes of packaging

waste were forwarded for recovery/recyc-

ling and thus diverted from landfill. ERA

gives financial and technical support to vari-

ous communication campaigns and envir-

onmental education programmes for pack-

aging waste with an emphasis on selective

collection.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?Since the introduction of the ERACOLECT

pilot projects (mid 2005), we have enjoyed

quite a good acceptance by the Romanian

population. The rate of public participa-

tion in the selective collection systems is

expected to grow with the aid of sustain-

able communication campaigns. More than

500 companies became ERA’s licensees in

two years of operation.

These companies put on the market

more than 476,200 tonnes of packaging, thus

covering 43.2 per cent of the Romanian mar-

ket. Based on a positive acceptance in the

business community, ERA’s licensees –

Romanian companies print the Green Dot

trademark on their packaging, communi-

cating thus to consumers their participation

in the Green Dot system.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?No major changes are expected within the

legal framework for packaging waste man-

agement in the near future.


23

R O M A N I A


Packaging material type Fees in euro cents/kg in 2006 (excl. VAT)

0.7870

0.7210

1.5160

0.5460

0.0004

0.6550

Glass

Plastics

PET

Metals

Wood

Paper/cardboard


Packagingmaterial type

Statutory recovery target

%

Recovery targetachieved in 2005

%

-

-

-

-

-

18.0

29.8

8.1

82.9

0.0

41.2

24.5

Glass

Plastics

Metals

Wood

Paper/cardboard

TOTAL

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?We plan to win new licensees for the ERA

system by the end of 2006.

In addition, we want to cooperate with

more partners, both WMCs and munici-

palities, in order to fulfil the set recovery

and recycling targets for packaging waste.

In this way, we intend to become the lead-

ing solution for implementation of the

Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive

in Romania.

Eco-Rom Ambalaje hopes to raise the

number of ERACOLECT schemes in order

to increase the quantities of recovered and

recycled household packaging waste as well

as the number of citizens participating in

the pilot projects.


%

Recycling targetachieved in 2005

%

-

-

-

-

-

22.0

30.9

8.1

83.0

1.0

42.0

25.0

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?The system was founded by seven major companies – producers and importers of packed products – and registered in December 2003. The number ofshareholders has meanwhile increased from seven totwelve. Business operation started in April 2004.

How many regular members of staff are employed?Seven internal and five external employees (as of January 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?Today Eco-Rom Ambalaje SA counts more than 500 licensees.

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?Eco-Rom Ambalaje SA is responsible for recovering andrecycling all packaging materials (glass, plastics, paperand cardboard, beverage cartons, metals, wood). Thesematerials are collected by the authorised WMCs operating under contract to ERA. The system coversboth commercial and household packaging waste.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?ERA’s activities are financed by the contributions madeby licensees. All of them pay a fee based on the quantityand type of packaging material placed on the market.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?No. There is no legal obligation to print the “Green Dot” on their packaging.

SC Eco-Rom Ambalaje SA51-55, Avenue 1 Mai, 6 District

061629 Bucharest, Romania, PO Box 66-104Phone: (+40-21) 4 13 91 07

Fax: (+40-21) 4 13 0857E-mail: [email protected]

www.ecoromambalaje.ro


24

EKO-KOM, A.S.

COOPERATION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?Packaging Act No. 477/2001 came into

force in the Czech Republic on 1 January

2002. This Act, which transposes EC Pack-

aging Directive 94/62/EC into national le-

gislation, in its amended version (66/2006)

also serves as the legal basis for the work of

EKO-KOM. The system was founded in

1997 and was officially approved by the

Environment Ministry as an “authorised

packaging company” on 28 March 2002. As

such, EKO-KOM is legally obliged to take

back and recover the packaging waste gen-

erated by its contractual partners in indus-

try and the municipalities. The recycling

and recovery targets prescribed by the Pack-

aging Act must be achieved and verified by

the company. It may enter into agreements

with local authorities, waste management

firms and recycling partners in order to

meet these requirements. Furthermore,

EKO-KOM is obliged to inform consumers

about the methods used for waste separ-

ation and the benefits offered by it.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?In principle, each company that places pack-

aging or packed goods on the Czech mar-

ket may take part in the system. There are

no other additional conditions governing

participation.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?EKO-KOM cooperates closely with the local

authorities. For instance, the local author-




2005 (%)

25

55

25

80

52

32

85

39

80

62

25

45

15

80

45

Metals

Paper/cardboard

Plastics

Glass

TOTAL


2005 (%)

Recovery and recycling

target achieved in 2005 (%)

ities are in charge of collecting and recycling

packaging materials from private house-

holds, while the collection of packaging from

industry is organised by the trade and the

waste management partners. EKO-KOM

supports the local authorities in that it sub-

sidises their work in the field of waste sep-

aration and recycling and provides them

with know-how – for instance in organis-

ing the collection and sorting of waste. The

system also cooperates with the local author-

ities in various projects to optimise waste

management in the country. In fact, EKO-

KOM is helping to make waste separation

a part of everyday life in the Czech Repub-

lic with its nationwide communication cam-

paign, an environmental education pro-

gramme for primary schools and a wide

range of information material.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?In the year 2005 alone, more than 464,000

tonnes of packaging waste were recovered

and recycled in the Czech Republic via the

Lukás Grolmus

Energy recovery is not practised in the Czech Republic at present. The achieved recovery and recycling targets are therefore identical.Total quantity of recovered and recycled packaging material in 2005: 464,640 tonnes

ˇ


25

C Z E C H R E P U B L I C

EKO-KOM FEES 2006

108.43

108.43

75.90

22.70

53.70

21.23

40.87

54.50

18.20

59.17

108.43

22.70

108.43

18.70

5.77

5.77

16.10

16.10

18.70

5.77

18.70

18.70

5.77

5.77

16.10

16.10

18.70

5.77

18.70

18.70

5.77

5.77

21.23

16.10

16.10

18.70

5.77

18.70

3.33

Soft plastics

Rigid plastics

Rigid plastics >> 5 l

Corrugated board

Paper

Glass

Metals Fe

Metals Al

Metals >> 5 l

Beverage cartons

Composites

Wood and textiles

Other materials

Plastics

Corrugated board

Paper

Metals Fe

Metals Al

Composites

Wood and textiles

Other materials

Plastics

Corrugated board

Paper

Metals Fe

Metals Al

Composites

Wood and textiles

Other materials

Plastics

Corrugated board

Paper

Glass

Metals Fe

Metals Al

Composites

Wood and textiles

Other materials

Gro

up p

acka

ging

Tran

spor

t pac

kagi

ngIn

dust

rial

pac

kagi

ngC

onsu

mer

pac

kagi

ng

EKO-KOM system instead of being con-

signed to landfill. The packaging manufac-

turers are also helping to reduce the vol-

ume of packaging: the CEN standards in

the Czech Packaging Act oblige them to

optimise and slim down their packaging.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?Each Czech consumer collected more than

36 kilograms of waste packaging on aver-

age in the year 2005. As a result, the sep-

arate collection quota was three kilograms

higher per person than in the previous year.

This clearly demonstrates the growing

acceptance of the system – in the mean-

time, more than 67 per cent of the Czechs

are separating their waste at home. In the

year 2004, more than 79 per cent of all pack-

aging circulated on the Czech market was

licensed with EKO-KOM. EKO-KOM is the

only packaging recovery system in the

Czech Republic.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?An amendment of the Packaging Act has

been in force since March 2005. This amend-

ment contains a regulation for companies

that place less than 300 kilograms of pack-

aging on the market and realize a turnover

of less than 4.5 million Czech koruns each

year. These companies are exempted from

all obligations of the Packaging Act.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?The Czech Republic, and above all EKO-

KOM, must fulfil a recovery target of 56 per

cent for packaging by the year 2010. In

order to meet this challenge and adjust the

present volume of recovered waste to this

target, EKO-KOM intends to cooperate

even more closely with partner munici-

palities and recycling companies. Added

to this, it plans to step up its public rela-

tions activities and, in this way, to motiv-

ate consumers to participate in separate

collection to an even greater extent.

All prices are without VAT.1) Packaging which does not meet the

requirements of Section 13, Subsection 2 ofAct No. 477/2001 Coll., as amended by laterregulations.

2) Fees are paid in CZK; EUR rates only for information (EUR 1 ~ CZK 30).

Fixed year compensation for under-limit customers

One-way packaging1)

euros/tonne2)

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?EKO-KOM was founded on 29 January 1997 on the initiative of manufacturers, fillers and producers in order to establish a collection and recovery system for used packaging from industry and householdsin the Czech Republic.

How many regular members of staff are employed?59 employees (as of February 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?Some 21,500 (as of February 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?EKO-KOM is responsible for recovering and recyclingall types of packaging – from sales and retail packaging to transport and industrial packaging.The system offers nationwide coverage of commercialand private places generating packaging waste throughout the entire Czech Republic.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?EKO-KOM, an integrated packaging recovery system,is financed by the licence fees paid by member companies. As contractual partners of EKO-KOM, thelocal authorities and waste management partnersreceive subsidies for the financial expenditure incurredin collecting and sorting packaging waste.


EKO-KOM, a.s.Na Pankráci 19

140 21 Prague 4, Czech RepublicPhone: (+420) 7 29 84 81 11

Fax: (+420) 7 29 84 81 19E-mail: [email protected]

www.ekokom.cz


ENVI-PAK, A.S.

SYSTEMATIC WASTE SEPARATION

26

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?EC Packaging Directive 94/62/EC was trans-

posed into Slovak national law by the Pack-

aging Act of 18 September 2002; the Act

itself came into force on 1 January 2003.

The ENVI-PAK system is based on Slovak

Packaging Act No. 529/2002, §8, article 2.

The packaging legislation states that the

obligated person (i.e. packer, filler, importer

of packaging and packed goods) has to

ensure that the packaging waste is collected

and that the recycling/recovery targets set

by Governmental Decree No. 220/2005 are

met. Obligated persons can fulfil this obli-

gation themselves as self-compliers or they

can join an Authorised Organisation. ENVI-

PAK, a.s. received its authorisation from the

Ministry of Environment on 1 August 2004.

In addition, according to Execu-

tive Regulation to the Packaging Act No.

210/2005, obligated persons have to sub-

mit evidence to the authorities that the

packaging has been collected and recycled

or recovered.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?To become a member of ENVI-PAK, a com-

pany has to operate in the Slovak market

and has to be defined as an obligated

person according to the Packaging Act.

ENVI-PAK currently has a market share

of around 20 per cent of the Slovak market.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?Cooperation with the local authorities plays

a major role in fulfilling the legislation

because consumers place their packaging

waste in the municipal waste collection bins.

In Slovakia most local authorities have a

contract with waste management com-

panies. If this is not the case, a contract can

be concluded between the municipality and

ENVI-PAK, a.s. Large international waste

management companies usually have a con-

tract with ENVI-PAK, a.s. and the condi-

tions between these companies and the

municipalities are settled individually.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?The Slovak Packaging Act and its amend-

ment define the requirements in respect of

packaging prevention for producers as well

as the implementation of the Prevention

Programme. ENVI-PAK helps companies

to fulfil these obligations with recommen-

dations on how to reduce the volume and

weight of packaging and how to prepare

the Prevention Programme.


Statutoryrecovery target

2005 (%)


Statutoryrecycling target

2005 (%)

Recovery and recyc-ling target achieved

in 2005 (%)

36.00

40.00

28.00

20.00

-

-

-

32.30

30.00

40.00

20.00

20.00

-

-

-

28.00

46.61

40.25

30.14

22.65

20.81

18.29

Paper

Glass

Plastics

Metals

Steel

Aluminium

Composites

TOTAL

Ivana Malesováˇ


27

S L O V A K I A

On the other hand, ENVI-PAK, a.s. also

helps municipalities which separate waste

to optimise their activities in order to sep-

arate even more waste more effectively.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?ENVI-PAK’s market share is rising steadily.

In 2005 the system was more successful than

in the previous year and we hope this posi-

tive trend will continue in 2006.

ENVI-PAK is currently preparing a

public awareness programme and an edu-

cation scheme focussing on the separation

of packaging waste and protection of the

environment.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?A mandatory deposit on plastic bottles with

a volume of more than 0.5 l is currently

under discussion in Slovakia. However, the

Ministry of Economy is against this system

and their decision has stopped it from being

launched. If a mandatory deposit system

were to be introduced, it could have a sig-

nificant impact on our system.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?This year we plan to increase our market

share and optimise our strategy for win-

ning new clients. We are also planning new

projects on the collection of waste and

advertising campaigns which should lead

to better waste separation and greater con-

sumer awareness.

Packaging material type Consumer packaging

3.00

2.58

0.775

3.87

2.80

4.13

1.03

Glass

Plastics

Paper

Composites

Metals

Steel

Aluminium

Wood

Group and transport packaging

3.00

1.30

0.775

3.87

0.775

1.03

0.775

The fees are calculated on the basis of the analyses ENVI-PAK performed in 2005.Regular fees are calculated in dependence on the price of materials on the market and include costs for collection. All clients pay a once-only entrance fee based on the amount of packaging put on the market per year: 500 euros (more than 700 tonnes/year), 250 euros (100 –700 tonnes/year) and 125 euros (less than 100 tonnes/year).


Fees in euro cents/kg for 2006

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?The system was founded by 12 major producers and importers of packaged products and registered on 10 April 2003. Business operation started on 1 June 2003.

How many regular members of staff are employed?14 employees (as of June 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?ENVI-PAK’s share of the market is almost 20 per cent.

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?All types of packaging are collected by the system. The main focus is on the separation ofmunicipal packaging waste – for this purpose ENVI-PAK pays a contribution to the municipality.ENVI-PAK also fulfils the targets with the aid of a commercial scheme (retail, industry). The system plans to operate on a nationwide basis.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The municipality finances the separation ofwaste on the basis of a contract with the waste management companies – ENVI-PAK pays an additional contribution based on the amount of packaging waste forwarded for recycling and/or recovery.


ENVI-PAK, a.s.Galvaniho 7/B

841 04 Bratislava, SlovakiaPhone: (+421-2) 5 73 85-810

Fax: (+421-2) 5 73 85-850E-mail: [email protected]

www.envipak.sk


ETO – EESTI TAASKASUTUSORGANISATSIOON

HELPING PEOPLE CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

28

Bärbel Baum

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The system is based on Estonian pack-

aging legislation. The Packaging Act, which

was introduced in June 2004, sets recovery

targets as of 1 January 2005 for all pack-

aging placed on the market. It also intro-

duces a deposit system for beer and low-

alcohol drinks in one-way packaging, as

well as for soft drinks in glass, plastic and

metal packaging.

According to the targets set by the

Packaging Act of 2004, packaging oper-

ators (packers and importers) are obliged

to collect and recover 50 per cent of the

total packaging circulated on the market.

This will rise to 60 per cent by the year 2010.

As from 2012, all the targets set by

the European Union will have to be met.

Added to this, the Packaging Act triggered

the introduction of a compliance scheme

in Estonia.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?In order to join the system, the company

has to sign a Green Dot licence agreement

and an ETO client agreement. There are no

further requirements.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?The waste management companies are

commissioned with the collection, sorting

and recovery of packaging waste. The sys-

tem also enters into an agreement with the

respective local authority settling where the

containers have to be placed and how col-

lection has to be organised. In addition,

ETO runs environmental education pro-

grammes in cooperation with the local

authorities. In most cases, however, these

are financed by the system alone.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?Between June and December 2005, ETO

collected and recycled 8,417 tonnes of mater-

ials which would otherwise have ended up

in landfills. In order to motivate people to

participate in the environment-friendly

selective collection of packaging waste, the

system started a widespread poster and TV

campaign in autumn 2005.


29

E S T O N I A

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?The system has only been operating for a

short time. According to a study performed

in January 2006, only one-sixth of the popu-

lation is actually taking part in selective

collection and placing packaging waste in

the special collection bins. Acceptance of

the system is also dependent on education,

nationality, gender and location.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?No major changes are expected. However,

the demand for collection containers near

shops may be dropped.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?ETO expects the household collection sys-

tem to develop positively. Furthermore,

it plans to provide additional containers for

the individual material fractions instead of

the two used at present.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?The ETO system, which was founded by packaging producers, retailers and fillers in 2004, started operationin June 2005.

How many regular members of staff are employed?Six employees (as of February 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?Our members include 523 producers and fillers as well as approximately 700 shops and retailers (as ofFebruary 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?The following types of packaging are collected: paperincluding beverage cartons, plastic, metal, glass andwood. The system collects packaging from households,the local authorities, businesses and shops.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?All costs are covered by industry.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?No, this is voluntary.

ETO – Eesti TaaskasutusorganisatsioonMasina 11

10144 Tallinn, EstoniaPhone: (+372) 6 00 46 38, 56 63 88 31

Fax: (+372) 6 00 49 00E-mail: [email protected]

www.eto.ee, www.rohelinepunkt.ee


FOST PLUS

NEW LIFE FOR PACKAGING

30

Etienne De Vos

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?In Belgium, EC Directive 94/62/EC was

transposed into national law as an Inter-

regional Cooperation Agreement between

the three Belgian regions Brussels, Flanders

and Wallonia. The law came into force on

5 March 1997. The revised Packaging Direc-

tive 2004/12/EC still had not been trans-

posed when this brochure went to press.

The parties responsible for placing

a product on the market – producers,

importers or distributors – must achieve

the recovery and recycling targets set for

packaging waste. Under the law, this respon-

sibility covers the “real and full cost” of col-

lection and recovery. Each party responsi-

ble for packaging has the option of joining

an accredited organisation. This is FOST

Plus for household packaging. The targets

to be reached according to the law are 50

per cent recycling and 80 per cent recovery.

Recycling levels of 15 per cent must be

achieved for each type of packaging ma-

terial (see first table on page 31).

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?A company has to sign a standard mem-

bership contract and submit an annual dec-

laration of all the household packaging it

places on the Belgian market. The contri-

bution made by the members to FOST Plus

is based on the Green Dot fees and calcu-

lated each year on the basis of the oper-

ational costs for each material type.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?FOST Plus signs agreements with the inter-

municipal authorities for a five-year period

during which the local authorities and

FOST Plus join forces to reach the speci-

fied recovery targets. The intermunicipal

authorities organise applications for ten-

ders from private waste management com-

panies on the basis of jointly agreed speci-

fications or carry out collection and sort-

ing themselves. FOST Plus covers the total

direct costs of all agreed operations as well

as the vital communication campaigns.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?Today, the effective recycling of household

packaging leads to significant savings in

primary materials by giving a second life

to “one-way” packaging. Large-scale recy-

cling has also made it possible to spectac-

ularly reduce the amount of packaging

waste consigned to landfill from 46 per cent

in 1995 to six per cent in 2005. Similarly,

the incineration of packaging with energy

recovery has dropped from almost 26 per

cent to 11 per cent within the same period.

In addition to the positive effects of recyc-

ling, the participation of the population

in sorting can be seen as a concrete, every-

day environmental gesture that, in turn,

encourages Belgian citizens to become

responsible consumers at all levels. The

quantity of “one-way” packaging placed on

the Belgian market is increasing at a slower

pace than the growth of Belgium’s GDP

(Gross Domestic Product), despite the evo-

lution of consumption patterns and socio-

demographic changes that call for more

packaged goods.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?FOST Plus has agreements with all Belgian

municipalities except one. More than nine

out of every ten Belgians sort their pack-

aging waste! This high level of participation

is matched by a high degree of satisfaction

in respect of the collection methods avail-

able. Not only the quantity, but also the

quality of the packaging waste collected is

on the increase. This is due, among other

things, to extensive and continuous com-

munication and training programmes as

well as effective operational monitoring.

The uniform structure of the FOST

Plus system, the considerable support and

participation of both industry and citizens

as well as the fact that the recycling rates

are reached at an acceptable cost have all

contributed to FOST Plus’ unrivalled posi-

tion on the Belgian market for household

packaging waste. As a result, there are no

potential competitors to challenge the FOST

Plus system at present.


31

B E L G I U M


Packaging material type Fees in euros/kg in 2006 (excl. VAT)

0.0280

0.0177

0.0283

0.1377

0.2608

0.2608

0.2561

0.3709

0.4080

Glass

Paper/cardboard (> 85% fibre)

Steel (> 50%)

Aluminium (> 50%, > 50µ)

PET bottles

HDPE bottles and flasks

Drinks cartons

Others recoverable

Others not recoverable



Statutory recyclingtarget 2005 (%)

Statutory recovery target 2005

Recycling target achievedin 2005 (%)

Recovery target achieved in 2005

123.5

108.8

31.7

97.0

72.0

66.2

90.0

93.1

Paper/cardboard *

Glass

Plastics **

Metals

Drinks cartons

Plastic bottles

Total

TOTAL

15.0

15.0

15.0

15.0

15.0

-

50.0

80.0

* The recycling rate is over 100 %: this is due to the fact that, for paper/cardboard, households put outsome types of packaging for selective collection that cannot be called household packaging according tothe definition.

** Including bottles and flasks

Total packaging waste recovered in 2005: 671,759 tonnesTotal packaging waste recycled in 2005: 649,404 tonnes

The licence fees are based on the actual cost of collecting, sorting and recycling/recovery of each material.The tariff is based on contributions per material and on the quantities collected and recovered. The key-word is solidarity: some materials exceed the imposed recycling requirements. Some pay more than theyactually cost in order to finance others. The highest contribution is made by those types of packaging andpackaging materials for which there is no recycling guarantee and which are therefore not collected.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?FOST Plus was founded in 1994 by major Belgian producers and importers of packaged products or pack-aging materials, distributors and trade organisations.FOST Plus is accredited as an officially approved organ-isation for household packaging waste management.This accreditation is valid up to and including 2008.


How many licensees/members does the system have?5,829, representing more than 92 per cent of the household packaging placed on the Belgian market (as of January 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?FOST Plus deals exclusively with all kinds ofhousehold packaging waste nationwide, without discriminating between the different kinds of materials.The system targets the recycling of packaging for which long-term market outlets are guaranteed. Theseinclude glass packaging, paper and cardboard and PMD (plastic bottles, metal packaging and drinks cartons). The organisation VAL-I-PAC is responsible for industrial packaging.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The parties responsible for placing a product on thenational market – producers, importers and distributorsof private labels – do so. They delegate their legalresponsibility to FOST Plus and finance the system viathe Green Dot, depending on the composition andquantity of the packaging sold.


asbl FOST Plus vzwRue Martin V 40

1200 Brussels, Belgium Phone: (+32-2) 7 75 03 50

Fax: (+32-2) 7 71 16 96E-mail: [email protected]

www.fostplus.be

This has been achieved by collecting those

types of packaging that are available in suf-

ficiently homogeneous quantities and for

which there is stable and lasting demand

on the market. Such conditions will have

to be maintained if FOST Plus is to con-

tinue to provide an efficient system at a cost

that is acceptable to all.

Optimising the system is a daily con-

cern of FOST Plus, for instance by offering

new systems for data management, both

for its members and for its waste manage-

ment partners. More e-services will be pro-

vided in the near future.

During the last years, FOST Plus has

strengthened its efforts to involve young

people in the collection and recycling of

packaging waste, e.g. by way of youth asso-

ciations and school programmes, musical

and sport events. These efforts will increase

environmental awareness to an even greater

extent.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?Belgium has reached and even surpassed

the recycling and recovery targets imposed

by the European Packaging and Packaging

Waste Directive 2004/12/EC. However, some

changes in national legislation are to be

expected as a result of implementation of

this directive.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?The approach selected by FOST Plus has

proved to be successful. Selective pack-

aging collection is now available through-

out Belgium. More than 90 per cent of all

household packaging placed on the mar-

ket by FOST Plus members is being recycled

at a cost of less than ten euros per annum

and inhabitant.


GREEN DOT (CYPRUS) PUBLIC CO. LTD.

RECYCLING WITH LONG-RUN PERSPECTIVE

32

Kyriakos Parpounas

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?Packaging Waste Act 32 (I) 2002 was enacted

on 12 April 2002 to achieve the recovery

and recycling targets set forth in the EC

Packaging Directive (94/62/EC). The main

aim was to eliminate or decrease the nega-

tive effects of packaging on the environ-

ment in terms of volume and composition.

Another objective was to establish the ne-

cessary infrastructure for the reduction, re-

use, recovery and recycling of packaging.

The Waste Act implements the “pol-

luter-pays principle„. Therefore all parties

responsible for placing a packaged product

on the market (packaging manufacturers,

fillers, packers, retailers, importers) must

achieve the statutory recovery and recycling

targets. In addition, from 1 January 2003,

this law prohibits the importation, produc-

tion or sale of packaging which does not

satisfy all the requirements stipulated in it.

This means that economic operators must

either participate in a collective system or

organise an individual system which has to

be approved by the Environment Service

of the Cyprus Government.

The obligations are mainly the respon-

sibility of the company that first places

products on the local market (manufac-

turer or importer). To this end, such com-

panies must document the type and quan-

tity of packaging placed on the market each

year as well as the corresponding recovery

and recycling rates achieved.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?All individual companies can become share-

holders or members of Green Dot (Cyprus)

Public Co. Ltd. (GDC Co. Ltd.) if they wish

to, as long as they place any kind of pack-

aging on the market. At this stage, however,

only companies circulating more than five

tonnes of packaging on the market per year

are obliged to fulfil the statutory recovery

and recycling requirements.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?GDC Co. Ltd. plans to cooperate very closely

with the local authorities and private waste

management operators. At present the local

authorities are responsible for collecting

waste materials from private households

and all other establishments. The operation

of the system, especially for the collection

of household packaging waste, will be

organised in close collaboration with them.

This cooperation will also include the en-

vironmental education of the inhabitants in

order to promote in-house waste separ-

ation. The collection, sorting and trading

of the materials will be contracted out to

private waste operators by GDC Co. Ltd.

by way of open competition. GDC Co. Ltd.

plans to organise and promote the recov-

ery and recycling of commercial and indus-

trial packaging waste by giving private waste

operators and the producers of such waste

a financial incentive to recycle larger quan-

tities of packaging.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?Since the system is still not fully operative,

GDC Co. Ltd. cannot really state its public

acceptance. However, public reaction to

information concerning the launching of

the system is very positive and encour-

aging. It is also important to note that this

is the only initiative to date for the collective

management of packaging waste in Cyprus

and, as such, is regarded as a very positive

step towards setting up a national system


33

C Y P R U S

for the management of packaging waste. At

the same time, the first negotiations held

with the local authorities to establish the

structure of future cooperation with the

system were very promising and created a

sound basis for the successful operation of

the system.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?The national packaging legislation will be

amended in the next few months to reflect

the changes made to Directive 94/62/EC by

Directives 2004/12/EC and 2005/20/EC.

The main changes will be in respect of the

national recovery and recycling targets that

have to be met in Cyprus by 31 December

2012.

Another point under discussion at

present is the reduction of the five tonnes/

annum threshold that is currently valid

for packaging recycling. We have been in-

formed by government officials that they

are seriously considering lowering this

threshold to 2–3 tonnes/annum.As a result,

a larger number of smaller companies

would have to fulfil the statutory recov-

ery and recycling obligations in future,

making them potential new members of

GDC Co. Ltd.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?In January 2006 GDC Co. Ltd. has submit-

ted its application for authorisation along

with a six-year detailed business plan (as

required by the law) to the relevant govern-

ment authorities. This authorisation is issued

according to the law for six-year periods.

Authorisation of the system is expected to

be completed by July 2006, and the system

intends to start actual operation in the

fourth quarter of 2006. According to its

business plan, GDC Co. Ltd. plans to offer

an organised collection system to 70 per

cent of the population of Cyprus by mid-

2012. Although GDC Co. Ltd. is currently

the only packaging recovery system in

Cyprus, it already represents a significant

part of the market, thanks to the participa-

tion of large companies as shareholders and

members of the system.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?GDC Co. Ltd. was founded as a non-profit company on 17 July 2003 by the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the basis of the European Packaging Directive.Currently, GDC Co. Ltd. has 61 organisations as shareholders and 90 organisations as members.

How many regular members of staff are employed?Six regular members of staff (as of May 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?The system is not currently collecting any packaging,but the intention is to start operation towards the endof 2006, right after authorisation of the system by thegovernment authorities.The system plans to cover both household and commercial/industrial packaging and to collect pack-aging from households, commercial buildings, shops,factories, etc.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The economic operators joining the system as shareholders and members will finance it by payingcontributions according to their declared volume andtype of packaging and the fee structure of the system.A small proportion of the operational costs of the system will be covered by contributions from partici-pating local authorities.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?This issue is still under discussion with the Govern-ment since the packaging law in Cyprus is unclear onthis issue. GDC Co. Ltd. is in favour of voluntary andnot obligatory use of the Green Dot symbol.

Green Dot (Cyprus) Public Co. Ltd.41-49, Ayios Nicolaos Str.

Nimeli Court, Block B Off. B21, Engomi, 2408 Nicosia

P.O. Box 25463, 1310 Nicosia, CyprusPhone: (+357) 70 00 00 90


www.cydot.com.cy


34

GREENPAK LTD.

RECYCLING GETS OFF TO A GOOD START

Liz Curmi & Denise Vassallo

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The Packaging and Packaging Waste Direc-

tive, EC Directive 94/62 EC, was transposed

into Maltese law as legal notice LN98/2004

Waste Management (Packaging and Pack-

aging Waste) Regulations, 2004. This legis-

lation states that any person who for the pur-

pose of trade or otherwise in the course of

business, imports, manufactures, converts,

distributes, fills, packs, sells or otherwise puts

on the Maltese market packaging material

or packaged products must achieve the recov-

ery and recycling targets set for packaging

waste. They must either join an Authorised

Waste Recovery Scheme such as that oper-

ated by GreenPak or set up their own system

to collect and recycle their packaging.

The targets to be achieved are 34 per

cent as a minimum for recovery and 29 per

cent as a minimum for recycling by the end

of 2006. These targets will increase to 51 per

cent and 45 per cent respectively by the end

of 2009.

By 2013, Malta will have to reach

60 per cent as a minimum for recovery, as

well as 55 per cent as a minimum and 80 per

cent as a maximum by weight for recycling.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Any company that places packaging or pack-

aged products on the Maltese market may

participate. Licensees have to sign a Licence

and Compliance Participation Agreement,

pay the participation fees accordingly and

draw up an annual declaration of all pack-

aging placed on the market.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?GreenPak Ltd. is working in liaison with the

local authorities with regard to the collec-

tion and recycling of packaging waste. At

present the local authorities are respon-

sible for collecting waste materials from

private households and GreenPak is work-

ing hand-in-hand with these organisations.

GreenPak also has working relationships

with waste management companies, and

contracts such companies on a regular

basis for the collection and recycling of

packaging.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?GreenPak was authorised to start operation

in October 2005. Prior to that, GreenPak

ran a pilot project in Valletta, the capital city

of Malta.With the collaboration of the local

council, GreenPak set up a selective collec-

tion in apartment blocks. A promotional

campaign included the distribution of fliers

to the residents of the apartment blocks

explaining and promoting the pilot project.

This project, which was well received

by residents, succeeded in recycling a total

of 15 per cent of the estimated packaging

waste which can be broken down as fol-

lows: 44 per cent plastic, 16 per cent metal

and 40 per cent glass.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?GreenPak’s scheme is still very new. In order

to motivate the public to participate in the

daily collection of packaging waste and to

promote products that carry the Green Dot

trademark, GreenPak is running several

adverts and public campaigns aimed at

industry and consumers.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?It is expected that an amendment will be

made to national legislation during 2006

to take account of the revisions in Euro-

pean Directive 94/62/EC.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?By the end of 2006 Malta must be able to

recover 34 per cent and recycle 29 per cent

of the packaging waste on the Maltese

market. GreenPak’s aim is to reach these

targets for its members. GreenPak is also

working to increase the number of member

companies and to further improve its

working relations with the local authorities.

GreenPak intends to continue promoting

the Green Dot trademark.


35

M A LTA



Soft plastics

Rigid plastics

Cardboard

Paper

Glass

Metals Fe

Metals Al

Beverage cartons

Composites

Wood and textiles

Other materials

Plastics

Corrugated board

Paper

Metals Fe

Metals Al

Composites

Wood and textiles

Other materials

Gro

up p

acka

ging

Pri

mar

y pa

ckag

ing

247.00

247.00

65.00

52.00

195.00

195.00

97.50

65.00

247.00

65.00

247.00

171.00

45.00

36.00

135.00

67.50

171.00

45.00

171.00

98.80

98.80

26.00

20.80

78.00

78.00

39.00

26.00

98.80

26.00

98.80

68.40

18.00

14.40

54.00

27.00

68.40

18.00

68.40

Annual fees 2006MTL/tonne euros/tonne

RECYCLING TARGETS

Packaging material type 2006 2007 2008 2009

43

38

7

42

-

50

41

10

50

-

55

46

13

60

-

60

50

15

65

-

2013

60

50

22.5

60

15

Statutory recycling target (%)

Glass

Metals

Plastics

Paper/cardboard

Wood

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?GreenPak was founded in November 2004 to establish a Packaging Recovery Scheme for producers andimporters of packaged products and packaging mater-ials. The Compliance Scheme set up by GreenPak wasformally approved and authorised on 14 October 2005.

How many regular members of staff are employed?Four members of staff (as of January 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?93 members (as of January 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?GreenPak operates nationwide and caters for all kinds of packaging, collecting both household andindustrial packaging.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The system is financed by licence fees paid by the fillers,packers, manufacturers and importers trading on theMaltese market.


GreenPak Ltd.St. John Street

Fgura PLA 13, MaltaPhone: (+356) 21 80 33 50, 21 80 33 74


www.greenpak.com.mt


GRØNT PUNKT NORGE AS

VOLUNTARY INITIATIVE ON THE PART OF INDUSTRY

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?With exceptions for some types of beverage

packaging, the Norwegian system is not

directly based on national legislation, but is

a result of voluntary agreements (covenants)

between the government and representatives

from the business community. The agree-

ments prescribe specified targets which

the obligated business community must

achieve. The material-specific targets are

d

g

o

,

d

set at 80 per cent for corrugated board and

plastic and 60 per cent for beverage cartons,

folding board cartons and metal. Most of

these targets have been met, but some still

have to be reached. Glass forms part of the

system, but is not based on agreements with

defined targets.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?All companies responsible for distributing

packaging on the Norwegian market may

take part in the system. No prerequisites

have to be fulfilled to join the system.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?Each material company (one for each pack-

aging material) signs agreements with indi-

vidual local authorities and waste manage-

ment partners. They are responsible for the

collection and sorting of waste on a decen-

tralised basis. It is up to each individual

municipality to decide which types are to

be sorted and recovered. The five material

companies own Grønt Punkt Norge collec-

tively and receive the licence fees collected

by Grønt Punkt Norge from its members

in return for handling their respective pack-

aging waste quantities.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?The financial contribution made by Grønt

Punkt Norge’s licensees has enabled the

material companies to collect and recycle

or forward for energy recovery approxi-

mately 400,000 tonnes of packaging waste.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?A survey conducted among Grønt Punkt

Norge’s licensees revealed that 80 per cent

consider the Norwegian compliance scheme

to be reputable and genuinely credible. Even

though the collection and sorting struc-

tures for household waste vary from one

municipality to the other, the general atti-

tude towards sorting and recycling of pack-

aging waste is very positive in most Nor-

wegian households.

How are the licence fees calculated?Members are required to submit a bi-

monthly report to Grønt Punkt Norge, spec-

ifying the precise packaging quantities put

into circulation. The licence fees are based

on the specific weight of the material or are

charged as a unit fee. Plastic, corrugated

board and solid board are calculated per

kilogram, while glass, metal and bever-

age cartons incur unit fees. The licence fees

for each packaging material (plastic pack-

aging, fibre-based packaging, glass pack-

aging containers and metal packaging

containers) are based on the total cost of

setting up and maintaining the system.

The licence fee structure is available at

www.grontpunkt.no.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?The original agreements between the

Ministry of the Environment and the busi-

ness community of 1995 were renewed in

March 2003 and will be valid for five years.

Grønt Punkt Norge does not expect any

changes in national legislation within this

five-year period.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?The recently introduced regulation which

states that public procurement is to be

encouraged to set environmental demands

as part of its policy gives a strong and posi-

tive signal in the system’s favour. However,

Grønt Punkt Norge is still concerned about

the high number of free riders on the Nor-

wegian market. As a result of the customer-

related Control Membership, Grønt Punkt

Norge has experienced a surge in member-

ship, particularly from small and medium-

sized packaging companies which until

then had managed to escape membership

unnoticed.

Gard Haglund

36


Member companies with a turnover of less than NOK 3 million pay a standard fee of NOK 750 per annumand are not obliged to declare their packaging consumption. Member companies with a turnover betweenNOK 3 and 5 million may pay a standard fee of NOK 1,500 per annum, or declare their packaging con-sumption if preferred. These standard fees are not applicable for members importing/producing packagingsuch as beverage cartons, service packaging, EPS or those who declare glass or cans. No member companypays less than NOK 750 in annual license fees. 25% VAT is added to all licence fees.

37

N O R W A Y

Approx. rates: USD 1 = NOK 6.23/EUR 1 = NOK 7.97/GBP 1 = NOK 11.52 (Status: 3 July 2006)

140.0 øre per kg

170.0 øre per kg

1.4 øre each

2.1 øre each

140.0 øre per kg

63.0 øre per kg

63.0 øre per kg

2.9 øre each

9.0 øre per kg

5.8 øre each

11.6 øre each

17.5 øre each

9.0 øre each

18.0 øre each

27.0 øre each

5.0 øre each

11.0 øre each

18.0 øre each

5.4 øre each

1.4 øre each

5.4 øre each

12.3 øre each

0.9 øre each

0.3 øre each

20.0 øre each

50.0 øre each

110.0 øre each

235.0 øre each

Fibre-based packaging

Plastic packaging

Packaging glass containers

Metal containers

All packaging items and film

Expanded plastic (EPS and other types)

Special rates: carrier bags < 10 litres

carrier bags > 10 litres

Plastics for hazardous products

Cardboard packaging base weight > 150 g/m2

Moulded fibre packaging for eggs, etc.

All liquid board packaging containers

Corrugated board and solid board > 600 g/m2

Glass containers without environment tax

Volume 0–250 ml

Volume 251–500 ml

Volume > 500 ml

Glass containers with environment tax

Volume 0–250 ml

Volume 251–500 ml

Volume > 500 ml

Volume 0–250 ml, can/tin

Volume 251–500 ml, can/tin

Volume > 500 ml, can/tin

Tubes

Table serving item

Aluminium form 0–500 ml

Aluminium form > 500 ml

Lids

Crown cork

Hazardous contents 0–1.0 litres

Hazardous contents 1.0–9.9 litres

Hazardous contents 10 litres

Hazardous contents > 10 litres

Fees in øre/kg in 2006 (100 øre = 1 NOK)


FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?The system was established by the Confederationof Trade and Industry. Five so-called materialcompanies are responsible for the recovery and recycling of packaging waste: Norsk Returkartong AS(for beverage cartons and solid board), Norsk Resy AS(for corrugated board), Norsk GlassGjenvinning AS (for glass), Norsk Metall-Gjenvinning AS (for metal)and Plastretur AS (for plastics).Grønt Punkt Norge AS was set up in 1997, its main task being the collection of packaging fees from thebusiness community.

How many regular members of staffare employed?Eleven members of staff are employed at Grønt PunktNorge AS (as of February 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?More than 2,300 licensees (as of February 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?Transport, sales/household and agricultural packagingare collected. Since 2003 the new scheme has also covered plastic and metal/tinplate packaging for chem-icals and hazardous waste (with some exceptions).

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The waste owners themselves finance collection andsorting, while recovery and recycling is financed by thesystem members.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?No, but members are entitled to do so.

Grønt Punkt Norge ASKarenslyst Allé 9A

Boks 91 Skøyen0212 Oslo, Norway

Phone: (+47) 22 12 15 00Fax: (+47) 22 12 15 19



Statutory recovery

target (%)


in 2005 (%)

Statutory recycling target (%)


in 2005 (%)

60

60

80

50

–**

80

60

59

69

77

65

89

95

64

60

50

30

50

n/a

80

60

59

44

27

35

89

88

46

Metals

Cardboard *

Plastics

EPS (expanded polystyrene)

Glass

Corrugated board

Beverage cartons

* Paper is not part of this system.** There is no statutory target set as industry itself started collection and recovery before

general targets were set.



HERRCO

ALTERNATIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT ON THE ADVANCE

38

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The HERRCo system is based on Greek Law

No. 2939 “Terms and measures for the alter-

native management of packaging. Estab-

lishment of the ‘National Organisation for

the Alternative Management of Packaging

and Other Waste’ (NOAMPOW)” that was

passed on 6 August 2001. With this Law,

EC Directive 94/62/EC was transposed into

national law. According to the Law, pack-

aging chain operators, so-called packaging

managers – including raw materials pro-

ducers or suppliers, packaging manufac-

turers, fillers and packers, retailers and

importers – are obliged to organise alter-

native management of the packaging waste

caused by their products. They must either

organise an individual system for the alter-

native management of their packaging

waste, i.e. a deposit system, or organise

and/or participate in a collective system.

These collective systems are approved for a

six-year renewable period by the Ministry

of Environment (MoE). The municipalities

are obliged to either organise the alternative

management of the packaging waste pres-

ent in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) on

their own, or to collaborate with the collec-

tive systems.The revision of Directive (04/12)

has set new targets for the end of 2008: 60

per cent recovery and 55 per cent recycling,

including 15 per cent recycling per material.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Importers and producers, including brand

owners, can become licensees of the

HERRCo system provided that their pack-

aging fulfils the prerequisites of the

national law.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?According to Law No. 2939 the system is

obliged to reimburse the local authorities

for the “additional”cost of recovery. If alter-

native management of the municipal waste

is organised jointly – i.e. in cooperation

between the local authorities and the col-

lective systems – six-year cooperation con-

tracts are concluded between the respon-

sible waste operators and the packaging

managers. The funding of the local author-

ities is based on a mechanism that takes the

real cost of the alternative management of

municipal waste and deducts the expenses

of the responsible operators for packaging

waste management. For a number of recov-

ery projects the expenses for the collection

and sorting facilities and equipment will

be covered by HERRCo, while the local

authorities will be responsible for collec-

tion of the recyclables. In other projects

HERRCo will finance the “additional cost”

of recycling for the packaging waste quan-

tities recovered by the local authorities.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?In 2005, nine recovery projects were up and

running instead of the three in 2004. These

projects allowed the system to serve a total

of 1.2 million inhabitants by the end of 2005

in the following regions: Marousi (Athens),

Patra, the island of Zakynthos, Kalamata

(Peloponnesus), Karditsa and Trikala (Cen-

tral Greece), Pieria and Imathia (Northern

Greece), Thessaloniki (second largest city in

Greece), Xania (Crete) and Lamia. In more

specific terms, the Materials Recovery Facil-

ity (MRF) at Maroussi already covers 12

local municipalities and the MRF in Patras

now covers an additional six municipalities.

Three other projects are expected to be com-

pleted in 2006. They will cover the island

of Corfu and the areas of Irakleio (Crete)

and Thermi (Thessaloniki). In addition,

the MRF in Aspropyrgo is scheduled to start

RECOVERY RESULTS


Recovery target achieved in 2005 (in tonnes)

9,609

1,186

542

1,593

12,929

Paper

Plastics

Metals

Glass

Total

Yiannis Razis


39

G R E E C E

operation. It will process the packaging

waste from 400,000 inhabitants in the Attiki

(Athens) area. By the end of 2006 we expect

the recovery projects to be serving a total

of 2.7 million inhabitants. In the year 2005,

approximately 12,929 tonnes of recyclables

were reprocessed into new packaging or

other end products.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?The system is well accepted by the public,

since a door-to-door communication pol-

icy is always put into effect, coinciding with

public events for introducing the pro-

gramme in areas to be integrated into the

system. Added to this, brochures and bags

for the recyclable materials are always dis-

tributed. An active team in the Department

of Fillers and Importers informs the busi-

ness community of their obligations under

the Law and maintains a policy of open

communication with them until they enter

into an agreement and join the system.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?No changes in national legislation are ex-

pected, at least not in the next three years.

This is when the achievements of the sys-

tem will be measured by the MoE. How-

ever, changes are probable due to the revi-

sion of Directive 94/62/EC.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?HERRCo sees the prospects of the system

very positively. Municipalities are contact-

ing HERRCo and expressing the wish to be

included in the system. However, it is not

always possible to realise these wishes

immediately since the areas to be included

in the system and the relevant timetable

have to be approved by the MoE. Fortu-

nately HERRCo has been able to keep to

the Ministry’s programme and has been

successful in coordinating the revenues from

the business community with the expendi-

ture of the MRFs that are in the planning

phase or already in operation.

In July 2005 HERRCo started a new

pilot project with private companies which

deals with the alternative management of

packaging waste. The goal of this project is

to promote the recycling of commercial and

industrial packaging waste (CIPW) instead

of packaging waste from private house-

holds. CIPW are easier to treat because they

are cleaner and come from specific sources.

Therefore we are optimistic about the

results. In 2005, 8,880 tonnes were recycled

from the commercial and industrial pack-

aging waste sector and we expect to recycle

a total of 17,000 tonnes next year.


0.04

5.00

5.37

6.17

0.84

2.00

1.00

0.90

6.17

Fixed contribution

Cardboard/packaging paper

Beverage cartons

Plastics

Aluminium

Steel

Glass

Wood

Other materials

The fees are based on the economic results of the nine projects already operated by HERRCo. These amountsare projected to 6.2 million inhabitants (up to 2009), which is the population required to achieve the targets(60% recovery by 31.12.2011) set by the PPWD and Greek Law. The resulting deficit is divided by thequantities of each packaging material expected to contract with the HERRCo system.

* Weight-related fee in euro cents/kg valid from 1.1.2006

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?HERRCo operated as a non-profit association(HERRA) from 1992 to 2001.After Greek Law No. 2939 became effective,21 companies from different industries that werealready members of HERRA founded HERRCo.The system was approved by the Ministry ofEnvironment in 2003 with Ministerial Decision104625/20-2-2003.

How many regular members of staff are employed?28 employees (as of December 2005).

How many licensees/members does the system have?826 (as of December 2005).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?Sales, group and transport packaging is collected by thesystem. In line with the local recovery scheme, all cur-rent projects serve households and small businesses,others cover the wholesale trade.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?Fillers, packers and importers finance the collection and sorting of packaging waste. Packaging manu-facturers are obliged to take back and recycle the sec-ondary material.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?No, though the majority do use it.

HERRCoHellenic Recovery and Recycling Corporation

Tatoiou 21 Kifissia 14561, Greece

Phone: (+30-210) 8 01 09-62 /-63Fax: (+30-210) 8 01 22 72


Fees in euro cents/kilo

HOW ARE THE LICENCE FEES CALCULATED? *


LATVIJAS ZALAIS PUNKTS, JSC

NEW IDEAS FOR CONSERVING NATURAL RESOURCES

Undine Bude

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The system established by “Latvijas Zalais

Punkts”, JSC (LZP) is based on the Pack-

aging Law, which came into force on 1 July

2002 transposing EC Directive 94/62/EC

into national legislation, and on the Law

on Natural Resources Tax which prescribes

that each packer must pay natural resources

tax for packaging imported and produced.

Several Regulations of the Cabinet of Min-

isters pursuant to these laws have also been

adopted to simplify their application.

The first table on page 41 shows the

recycling targets to be met. It must be noted

that LZP has always exceeded the statutory

targets. More information on Latvian legis-

lation is available at www.zalais.lv.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?In order to become a member of the sys-

tem, the company and LZP must enter into

an agreement on the management of pack-

aging waste generated as a result of the com-

pany’s activities and on the granting of a

licence to use the Green Dot trademark.

LZP members must provide proof that they

have no tax debts in order to receive nat-

ural resources tax relief. Once natural

resources tax relief has been granted, mem-

bers must draw up a programme of pack-

aging waste management activities to be

carried out within the company. In addi-

tion, companies have to submit regular

reports on the implementation of the pro-

gramme to LZP.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?LZP cooperates with the local authorities

in developing a separate collection system

and educating the public in their respec-

tive administrative territories. The local

authorities indicate which waste manage-

ment companies are available for cooper-

ation with LZP and, based on this, LZP

enters into long-term agreements with these

waste management companies for the

separate collection of packaging waste in

the municipalities. As a result, LZP covers

approximately 58 per cent of the country,

and more than 1.4 million of the total Lat-

vian population (2.4 million) have access

to separate waste collection. LZP also co-

operates with exporters and recyclers in

order to ensure effective compliance with

the recovery targets.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?Thanks to LZP’s investment in the devel-

opment of the Latvian recycling industry,

packaging waste recycling capacities were

successfully increased in 2005. This gave

waste management companies the oppor-

tunity to deliver packaging waste materials

in the local market. For instance, the PET

bottle recycling company “PET Baltija”

started operation in 2004. LZP also imple-

mented its operating strategy with success

in 2005. It exceeded the planned recovery

target of 48 per cent and even managed to

recover 52 per cent of the packaging placed

at its disposal. Recently LZP in cooperation

with leading leasing companies has devel-

oped a financing concept that will allow

smaller municipalities to set up a collection

scheme and fund it on a leasing basis. We

believe that this cooperation is evidence of

the trust placed in the system by the bank-

ing sector and will stimulate rapid devel-

opment of the collection system.

Finally, a pilot project in which pack-

aging waste was collected from private

houses using separate collection bags pro-

vided us with valuable experience and will

serve as the basis for further system devel-

opment in this booming housing segment.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?In order to motivate the public to partici-

pate in the everyday collection of pack-

aging waste in 2005, LZP organised promo-

tional activities and events for different

age groups.

Within the scope of the project “The

Green Dot school” more than 83,000 stu-

dents from some 250 schools all over Latvia

took part in various educational activities

relating to recycling, waste management,

environmental protection, etc. About

20 per cent of all the schools in Latvia are

involved in this project and the number is

rising steadily.

The Green Dot week has become a tra-

ditional event for focusing people’s atten-

tion on the sorting of packaging waste. One

of the most widely recognised events is

40


41

L AT V I A

“A Day Without Plastic Bags” during which

people are requested to use environment-

friendly, reusable cloth shopping bags for

their purchases instead of plastic bags. In

2005 a record number of schoolchildren

from all over Latvia came to “Childrens’

Day” in Riga to demonstrate their skills and

knowledge about nature protection and the

sorting of packaging waste.

Though a fully representative study

about the attitude of society towards the

system has not yet been carried out, every-

day experience shows that the number of

people who are sorting waste or are willing

to sort it is increasing continuously.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?A new Natural Resources Tax Law came

into force on 1 January 2006. This grants

producers who have joined a recovery

organisation a 100 per cent exemption from

natural resources tax from 2007.

New Regulations of the Cabinet of

Ministers that will be issued at a later date

will provide more details.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?In 2006 LZP will continue to work towards

its strategic goals in order to ensure rapid

development of the system and compliance

with the recovery targets. To this end, LZP’s

programme for 2006 is as follows:

• to develop a strategy to reach the

targets for 2015 as set by the revised

Directive,

• to increase the number of licensees

to 1,250,

• to ensure that 60 per cent of the

packaging placed on the market is

managed by LZP,

• to develop new recycling capacities,

• to ensure that 50 per cent of the

population has access to separate

collection,

• to ensure that at least 50 per cent of

the population recognises the Green

Dot trademark.

TOTAL PACKAGING WASTE RECYCLED IN 2005 (in tonnes)

Glass Polymers(excl. PET) PET Metal Compo-

sites

39,945

13,753

34

15,558

6,575

42

6,977

3,048

44

6,801

3,033

45

5,403

387

7

Naturalfibres Total

61,848

44,314

72

136,534

71,111

52

RECYCLING TARGETS AND RESULTS*

LZP recycling target 2005**

Recycling targetachieved in 2005

Statutory recyclingtarget 2005

32

32

38

6

37

68

34

42

44

7

45

72

28

15

***

***

23

56

Glass

Plastics

PET

Composites

Metals

Natural fibres

* All packaging waste recovered by LZP was recycled or exported for recycling.** These targets are set in the LZP programme and are approved by the government.*** Plastics, composites and PET have a joint target under the group of plastics.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?The system was founded by six companies from the packaging industry on 11 January 2000 and started operation the same year.

How many regular members of staff are employed?15 employees (as of February 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?1,030 licensees (as of January 2006) and the number is rising steadily.

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?The system collects transport, sales, industrial andhousehold packaging made of glass, paper, cardboard,polymers, PET and tinplate. All kinds of places generating packaging waste are covered: private house-holds, the wholesale trade, business and industrialenterprises, etc.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The system is financed by its licensees.

How are the licence fees calculated?Taking account of the fact that system members receivenatural resources tax relief, the LZP licence fee is cur-rently set at 60 per cent of the natural resources tax ratefor the relevant type of packaging material.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?Placing the trademark on the packaging is voluntary.

Latvijas Zalais Punkts, JSCBaznicas Street 20/22,

Riga 1010, LatviaPhone: (+371) 7 03 98 10

Fax: (+371) 7 03 98 11 E-mail: [email protected]

www.zalais.lv

--

Packaging under respon-sibility of LZP

Packagingrecovered andrecycled byLZP

Recycling (%)


ÖKO-PANNON P.B.C.

EFFICIENT WASTE MANAGER

42

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The system is based on Law XLIII of 2000

on Waste Management which states as a

general regulation that waste should be

recovered, if recovery is both ecologically

and economically sound. EC Directive

94/62/EC was transposed into national law

by Governmental Decree 94/2002 on “Pack-

aging and Packaging Waste” published on

5 May 2002. In accordance with this decree,

ÖKO-Pannon started operation as the first

Hungarian recovery organisation.

The Product Charge Law of 1995 simul-

taneously stipulates the payment of a prod-

uct charge for packaging. The licensees of

Beata Gonci

ÖKO-Pannon are exempted from this fee,

except for charge “U”and charge “K”for so-

called “commercial packaging”(a fee for the

primary packaging of some beverage prod-

ucts such as beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks,

mineral water, syrups and drinking water)

and for plastic shopping bags. According

to the above regulation, the recovery organ-

isation has to fulfil the following targets: at

least 54 per cent of the total waste originat-

ing from products subject to the product

charge must be recovered in 2006 and at

least 29 per cent of the total waste must be

recycled. The minimum recycling targets

for the different packaging materials are

between 16 and 55 per cent in 2006.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Basically and according to law, ÖKO-

Pannon is open to all obligated com-

panies that would like to sign the contract

and thus show their responsibility for the

environment.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?ÖKO-Pannon cooperates with some 46

regions in the selective collection of house-

hold packaging waste. To this end, the com-

pany has signed contracts for cooperation

with municipalities and municipal collec-

tors covering more than 3.8 million inhab-

itants in 512 settlements throughout Hun-

gary. By the end of 2006 the number of

inhabitants serviced by ÖKO-Pannon’s

selective collection system is expected to

rise to four million.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?The selective waste management system

coordinated by ÖKO-Pannon has had a sig-

nificant effect on the state of the environ-

ment. In the short term, the system has

slowed down the saturation of landfill sites

and increased national recovery and recyc-

ling rates. ÖKO-Pannon has recovered 58

per cent (317,000 tonnes) of the packaging

waste generated by its contractual partners,

thus playing a crucial role in fulfilment of

the 50 per cent target set by the EU Direc-

tive for the Republic of Hungary. In 2005

the selectively collected waste quantities

came to 7.38 kg per capita on average. Apart

from these positive results, ÖKO-Pannon

can proudly state that in 2005 it managed

to develop its educational programme to

an even greater extent in 21 partner muni-

cipalities. More than 144,000 children from

350 educational institutions are participat-

ing in the current programme which tar-

gets children aged between 5 –14.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?The selective waste collection system run

by ÖKO-Pannon is recognised as the most

reliable and most successful coordination

model in Hungary. In the past few years the

Hungarian organisation has become a real

expert in waste management and is accepted

by the authorities, branch partners and resi-

dents alike. While at the beginning of 2004

ÖKO-Pannon was responsible for just

44 per cent of the Hungarian packaging


43

H U N G A R Y

waste, this figure rose to 54 per cent in

January 2005. Today, ÖKO-Pannon is re-

sponsible for 67 per cent of the market.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?Proposals on percentage points for exemp-

tion from the product charge for so-called

“commercial packaging” and on the reuse

of packaging are under discussion. At the

same time the government is investigating

the feasibility of introducing a mandatory

deposit system. These issues could have an

effect on ÖKO-Pannon’s activities at a later

date.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?With currently more than 1,880 companies

registered as licence partners, ÖKO-Pan-

non expects to further increase this figure

to some 2,200 licensees by the end of 2006.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?ÖKO-Pannon p.b.c. was founded by 35 leading manu-facturers – packers and fillers as well as producers ofpackaging. All founders are owners, each holding equalfounding capital. ÖKO-Pannon was officially registeredas a legal entity on 8 November 1996. However, registra-tion as a recovery organisation under the packagingdecree was first approved in December 2002. ÖKO-Pan-non officially started operation on 1 January 2003.

How many regular members of staff are employed?25 full-time employees (as of January 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?More than 1,880 licensees (as of January 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?Packaging consisting of paper, glass (clear andcoloured), metal, aluminium, plastics, wood and bever-age cartons are collected. Furthermore, ÖKO-Pannonp.b.c. collects packaging waste from private householdsas well as commercial/industrial packaging waste.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The licence fees paid by the fillers, packers, importersand packaging material producers are primarily used tofinance selective collection, sorting and recycling, with acertain proportion of these revenues being invested inÖKO-Pannon’s educational and community awarenessprogramme.


ÖKO-Pannon p.b.c.Hungária krt. 179-187

1146 Budapest, Hungary Phone: (+36-1) 3 83 93 05

Fax: (+36-1) 3 83 93 06 E-mail: [email protected]

www.okopannon.hu

2,000

1,800

1,600

1,400

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

2003 I. 2003 II. 2003 III. 2003 IV. 2004 I. 2004 II. 2004 III. 2004 IV. 2005 I. 2005 II. 2005 III. 2005 IV.


CONTRACTUAL PARTNERS/CIRCULATED PACKAGING


Licence fees 2006 (HUF/kg)

Licence fees 2006* euro cent/kg

4.4

18.2

8.7

6.06.53.4

6.9

8.7

17.422.5

1.75

7.24

3.46

2.392.591.35

2.75

3.46

6.928.95

Glass

Plastics

Paper/cardboard

AluminiumMetals Aluminium beverage cans

Other metals

Wood

Textiles

Composites Beverage cartonsOther composites

532 (2005)

314 (2003)

165351

515

number of contractual partners

amount of circulated packaging(1,000 tonnes)

708

906

1,0691,176

1,254

1,566

1,7261,759 1,823

2003

Circulated packaging

2004 2005

Recovery and recycling

317,000

532,000

198,000

417,000

144,000

314,000

* Rate of exchange of the National Bank of Hungary on 1 February 2006: EUR 1 = HUF 251.34

The licence fees are based on the material type and weight of packaging put onto the market.

CIRCULATED PACKAGING/RECOVERY AND RECYCLING 2003–2005 (in tonnes)

417 (2004)


REKOPOL ORGANIZACJA ODZYSKU S.A.

COMMITTED TO CLOSING THE LOOP

44

Edyta Diana Karpiuk

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?Rekopol – Organizacja Odzysku S. A. is

based on three Acts which regulate pack-

aging waste management in Poland. These

are the Waste Act of 27 April 2001, the Act

on Producer Responsibility with regard to

the Management of Certain Waste, Prod-

uct Fee and Deposit Fee of 11 May 2001 as

well as the Act on Packaging and Packaging

Waste of the same date. These Acts, which

came into effect on 1 January 2002, trans-

posed EC Directive 94/62/EC into national

law. It is interesting to note that Polish law

provides for the establishment of more than

one compliance scheme in Poland. Over 35

recovery organisations have been registered

so far (as of January 2006). Rekopol and the

other recovery organisations and self-com-

pliers have to achieve specified annual recyc-

ling and recovery targets by 2014. Each

recovery organisation in Poland is obliged

to submit an annual report by 31 March of

the following year to the head of the provin-

cial authority (Voivodship Marshal) stating

the total weight of packaging placed on the

market by the system participants and the

total weight of the recycled packaging waste.

If a recovery organisation (or self-complier)

fails to meet its specified recycling target,

it is obliged to pay a packaging fee set by

the Environment Ministry to the relevant

Voivodship Marshal’s office – in the case of

Rekopol that of the Mazovia province (War-

saw area) – by 31 March of the following

year. This is subsequently transferred to the

state-managed Environment Fund.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Membership is available to every company

that is legally obliged to fulfil recycling tar-

gets for packaging waste. The companies

have to accept the “recycling” fees charged

by Rekopol for its services and may sign a

recovery and recycling agreement. Rekopol

also offers an alternative solution – the

possibility of purchasing a licence for the

use of the Green Dot trademark without

having to cooperate with Rekopol to fulfil

the recycling obligation.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?In 2005, more than 200 municipalities with

almost seven million inhabitants cooperated

with Rekopol. The system grants the local

authorities financial support for the devel-

opment of local selective collection systems

for packaging waste. The system pays an

allowance for each tonne of recyclable

packaging material that is collected and

forwarded for recycling. In addition,

Rekopol offers the local authorities consul-

tancy services in the field of waste manage-

ment, for instance it recommends waste

management technologies, methods of col-

lection, etc. Rekopol concludes contracts

not only with the municipalities but also

with sorting plants and other companies

that trade in recyclables. Furthermore,

Rekopol also offers an environmental edu-

cation programme with the emphasis on

selective collection, one example being

training courses for teachers and local

authorities. Various communication cam-

paigns are planned for the 2006/2007 sea-

son. To this end, Rekopol has started to pre-

pare its own educational materials which

will be made available to all teachers co-

operating with the municipalities.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?The successes of the Polish system are

reflected in the recycling results for the years

2002 to 2005. Rekopol is making every effort

to be well prepared for the challenges it will

face in the coming years when further opti-

misation will be necessary, not only in the

primary packaging sector, but actually for

all packaging streams. As the collection sys-

tem continues to be improved in Polish

cities and municipalities, it will be much

easier for citizens to make their contribu-

tion to the recovery of packaging waste in

future.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?Rekopol is still gaining experience in a very

competitive market. In such an environ-

ment, public acceptance (both on the part

of citizens and the business community) is

improving slowly but systematically. The

business community expects Rekopol to

provide high-quality services. Rekopol,

which is the only recovery organisation

cooperating with the local authorities on

a Green Dot basis, provides the Polish


45

P O L A N D

municipalities with financial support. The

aim is to promote the development of a

nationwide selective collection system and

simultaneously to safeguard the system’s

competitive position on the market.

Rekopol is also taking steps to strengthen

the environmental awareness of the Polish

people with the aim of motivating them to

participate in the separate collection of

packaging waste. In 2006 Rekopol intends

to start a campaign in Poland to explain the

meaning of the Green Dot trademark to

consumers and companies alike. Rekopol

also awards prizes for ecological projects in

school competitions.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?Following significant changes to the law in

Poland in 2005, there are no government

plans on the horizon for 2006. However,

this could change when the results of the

Polish system for 2005 are published in mid-

2006, or if the system’s performance in the

course of 2006 is not satisfactory. This can-

not be ruled out because of the new chal-

lenges introduced by amendments to the

law in 2005. Keywords here are the intro-

duction of an interim overall recovery tar-

get of 43 per cent (high for Poland) and an

increase in the material-specific recycling

targets.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?The year 2006 will be a decisive one for

Rekopol. Poland must prepare to meet the

higher overall targets set by Directive 94/62

from 2007. The achievement of the overall

recovery target of 43 per cent in 2006 will

increase the financial burden on obligated

parties and, indeed, may also force some of

them to finally commit themselves to one

of the recovery schemes. It is to be expected

that some of them will join the Rekopol

system. This will create the prerequisite for

the ongoing development of municipal

selective collection. We expect that the new

targets set by Directive 2004/12 that have

already been transposed into Polish legis-

lation (with a derogation period up to 2014)

will accelerate the process.


Packaging material type Recycling fees in euros/kg(effective from 1.1.2006)

0.0069

0.0210

0.0173

No obligation

0.0157

0.0236

0.0078

Paper/cardboard/corrugated board

Glass packaging

Plastics

Composites

Steel packaging

Aluminium packaging

Natural material packaging

Recovery fee in euros/kg (effective from 1 January 2006)* 0.0052

Euro rate dated 17.1.2006 (EUR 1 = PLN 3.8062)* In accordance with the legal obligation from 1.4.2005



2005 (%)


Recycling targetachieved in

2005 (%)


2006 (%)

18

30

14

42

29

11

16

30

87

23

65

38

57

23

22

35

18

45

35

13

-

Plastics

Aluminium

Tinplate

Paper/cardboard

Glass

Natural materials(wood and textiles)

Composites

Total packaging waste recycled in 2005: 937,000 tonnes

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?The Rekopol system was officially registered on 24 October 2000 (Registration by Court) and startedbusiness operation on 1 January 2002. It was foundedby 19 shareholders – packaging manufacturers as well as packers and fillers. In 2005, the number of sharehold-ers was increased by three new companies, one of whichrepresents the waste management sector.


How many licensees/members does the system have?Approximately 900 members (as of January 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?All types of packaging waste – sales packaging, retail,secondary and transport packaging – are collected bythe system. The entire sales trade, including packers andfillers, is covered by Rekopol, while packaging wastefrom SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and house-holds is collected by the municipalities. The systemoperates on a nationwide basis.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?Rekopol is financed by the fillers, packers and importersparticipating in the system. The system’s licence fees arebased on the weight of the registered amount of pack-aging placed on the market. They are calculated perkilogram of packaging, depending on the packagingmaterial.


Rekopol Organizacja Odzysku S. A.ul. Domaniewska 47

02-672 Warsaw, PolandPhone: (+48-22) 5 45 42 80 - 83

Fax: (+48-22) 5 45 42 84E-mail: [email protected], www.rekopol.pl


REPA – REPAREGISTRET AB

MEASURABLE BENEFIT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

46

Mikael Ankers

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are theobligations to be met?The legal responsibility of companies that

manufacture, sell or import packaging or

packaged goods in respect of recovery of

the packaging they have circulated on the

Swedish market was set on 1 October 1994

(Swedish Statutes 1997:185). Accordingly,

producer responsibility covers sales, trans-

port and industrial packaging – and applies

to all types of material such as plastic, metal,

glass, paper, cardboard, corrugated board,

wood and others. Special legislation, i.e. a

mandatory deposit, applies to cans and PET

bottles for drinks. The principles of EC

Directive 94/62/EC were largely realised in

Sweden with the 1994 legislation, while

full implementation of the Directive was

accomplished on 1 July 1997.

Producer responsibility requires all

producers to fulfil six conditions. For in-

stance, they must provide a collection sys-

tem where end users can leave sorted pack-

aging. This must be agreed upon in advance

with the local authorities, and the produ-

cers must inform the public of this collec-

tion option. Furthermore, the producers

must submit a report to the Swedish En-

vironment Protection Board proving that

the national recycling targets have been met.

They are also obliged to comply with the

essential requirements of the EC Pack-

aging Directive. There are, however, no set

targets, and there are no sanctions against

producers who do not comply with these

requirements (detailed information at

www.repa.se).

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?All fillers and importers of packed prod-

ucts and all suppliers of service pack-

aging can become a member. The only

further prerequisite is that the company

must subsequently fulfil its obligations to

declare the amount of packaging circu-

lated on the Swedish market and to pay

the relevant fees.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?The coordination of contracts with the

municipalities, general information and

public relations activities as well as issues

concerning the installation and main-

tenance of drop-off points are the re-

sponsibility of Förpacknings- och Tidnings-

insamlingen. Like REPA, this is another

joint organisation founded by the material

companies.

Although the municipalities are often

involved in acquiring the land for drop-off

points, preparing the ground (sometimes

fencing it in), and supervising and clean-

ing the area, the actual contracts for the col-

lection, sorting and recovery of packaging

waste are concluded by the material com-

panies themselves.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?Large quantities of packaging waste that

were previously consigned to landfill or

incineration are now forwarded for re-

cycling. It is generally acknowledged

that this helps to improve the energy ef-

ficiency since the use of recycled material

requires less energy than the virgin ma-

terial equivalent. Furthermore, many

RECYCLING TARGETS AND RESULTS


Statutory recycling target 2005 (%)

Recycling target achieved in 2005 (%)

20.4 (plus 48.5% energy recovery)

70.5

66.0

96.0

Plastics

Corrugated board

Metals

Glass

30.0 (of a 70% total recovery target)

70.0

70.0

70.0



47

S W E D E N

investments have been made in new tech-

niques (e.g. paper mill production lines for

recycling waste paper and cardboard) as

well as in research into new scopes of appli-

cation for recycled glass. Added to this, the

amount of packaging used has dropped

significantly. For example, the packaging

weight of the most popular everyday

commodities has been lowered by some

25 per cent.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?Eight out of ten Swedish citizens separate

their household waste. This demonstrates

the high acceptance of the system. At pres-

ent there are no competing systems, either

at national, regional or local level. How-

ever, some producers with independent and

closed logistics (mainly large retail chains)

fulfil their obligations for transport pack-

aging themselves. There is also a separate

system for plastic film used for agricultural

purposes (ensilage).

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?The Government has carried out a general

review of the producer responsibility

schemes in Sweden. The results were pre-

sented in a Bill to the Swedish Parliament

in May 2003, giving the “green light” for the

system to continue its operations.

In the Bill, the Government calls

for even better cooperation between the

material companies/Förpackningsinsam-

lingen and the municipalities. The Bill

has meanwhile been approved by the

Swedish Parliament.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?A lot of effort and money is put into

upgrading the collection system, resulting

in a larger number of newly designed

collection bins, more comprehensive in-

formation, etc. Plans are also underway

to expand the domestic collection signifi-

cantly.

In addition, we have revised fees and

services for transport packaging waste since

it was considered unfair to subsidise the

collection of consumer packaging with fees

charged for transport packaging. Therefore

we are currently in the process of lowering

these fees.

In future, the collection and recovery

of transport packaging will mainly be han-

dled by the market.

Packaging material type Fees in SEK/kg for 2006 (excl. VAT)

0.60

0.60

1.20

1.20

0.06

0.60

0.45

0.02

0.02, 0.05, 0.15 or 0.75

0.45

0.00

2.00

1.50

Metals, aluminium, cans > 16 cm in diameter

Metals, steel plate, cans > 16 cm in diameter

Metals, aluminium, other

Metals, steel plate, other

Metals, drums

Cardboard/paper, beverage carton

Cardboard/paper, other

Certain industrial packaging made of board

Corrugated board (fee dependent on industry sector)

Corrugated board, service packaging

Plastics, commercial packaging

Plastics, other

Plastics, service packaging

All member companies pay a maintenance fee of SEK 500 per year and a membership fee determined bytheir annual turnover. The once-only membership fee amounts to SEK 400 if the annual turnover is lessthan SEK 5 million or SEK 2,000 if the turnover is more than SEK 5 million.A producer whose annual turnover comes to only SEK 0.5–3 million may pay an annual standard fee ofSEK 1,500 instead of the packaging fees. This is not available for companies manufacturing/importingservice packaging.A company whose annual turnover runs to less than SEK 0.5 million is exempted from paying the standard fee.A producer whose annual packaging fees amount to no more than SEK 7,000 may, if desired, pay a standard fee of SEK 7,000 instead of paying packaging fees.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?In order to put producer responsibility into practice,Swedish trade and industry formed so-called materialcompanies in 1994: MetallKretsen (metal), Plastkretsen(plastics), and Returkartong (paper and cardboard).They in turn set up REPA as their joint subsidiary.In addition, there is Svensk GlasÅtervinning for glass.

How many regular members of staff are employed?REPA and the material companies employ some 50 people (as of February 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?Approximately 9,000, representing about 90 per cent ofthe packaging market in Sweden (as of February 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?All kinds of packaging are collected. Private house-holds/consumers have access to a nationwide systemfinanced by packaging fees. Most commercial packaging is recovered under market conditions.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?All costs are financed by packaging fees paid mainly byfillers and importers.


REPA – Reparegistret ABBox 712

101 33 Stockholm, SwedenPhone: (+46-8) 56 61 44 00

Fax: (+46-8) 56 61 44 42E-mail: [email protected], www.repa.se

The packaging fees are set by the material companies. They are based on weight and charged on the basis ofthe packaging reports submitted by REPA’s customers as a quarterly or yearly payment for the precedingperiod. Fees for glass packaging are paid directly to Svensk GlasÅtervinning and amount to about SEK 0.17per piece on average.(SEK 1 = EUR 0.11)



REPAK LIMITED

SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVE FOR CLOSING THE LOOP

48

Andrew Hetherington

recovery target of 50 per cent and is required

to fulfil a recovery target of 60 per cent by

weight of packaging waste by 2011.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?The Repak scheme is open to all “major

producers” with an annual turnover in

excess of one million euros that place

more than 25 tonnes of packaging on the

Irish market each year. Detailed informa-

tion on registration may be obtained at

www.repak.ie.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?Repak pays subsidies (called RPS subsidies)

to the collectors and local authorities for

the collection of packaging recyclables.

Repak employs two full-time members of

staff to liaise with Ireland’s 34 local author-

ities, while a further two employees are dedi-

cated to the waste contractors. Frequent

visits are made to these partners on a year-

round basis. At the end of 2005 Repak had

entered into approval agreements with 173

service providers. Cooperation with these

is by way of regular contacts by Repak staff

as well as through an annual Service

Providers’ Conference, a Local Authority

Conference and a quarterly newsletter

“Repak Review”. In addition Repak has

helped develop and fund new collection

infrastructure as well as running a series of

local and national educational recycling

campaigns.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?In 2005, Repak achieved a recycling volume

of some 571,000 tonnes representing 57 per

cent of all packaging placed on the Irish

market. This was an increase of 19 per cent

over and above 2004. Previously such ma-

terial would have gone directly into land-

fills. Repak has seen the recycling volume

of packaging waste increase steadily from

just over 93,000 tonnes in 1998, the first full

year of operation, to 571,000 tonnes in 2005;

an increase of 478,000 tonnes. Repak ran a

number of strategic initiatives in 2005

which were aimed at increasing the amount

of domestic packaging recycled. These

included Repak Recycling Week, Repak

Green Christmas, Repak Cash for Cans

and the sponsoring of Tidy Towns and

National Spring Clean (for further details

visit www.repak.ie).

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?There has been a growing interest in recyc-

ling in Ireland. In 1998 less than 25 per cent

of the people regularly recycled glass (the

most recycled packaging item). Recent fig-

ures for 2005 show that as many as 61 per

cent of all adults visit their local bring cen-

tre at least once a month. Repak has also seen

the number of households participating in

kerbside recyclable collections grow. Over

820,000 households or approximately 56 per

cent of all households are now serviced by

a kerbside recyclable collection scheme.

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are theobligations to be met?In 1997, Repak Limited was established

under a voluntary agreement between in-

dustry and the government in response to

the obligations placed on suppliers of pack-

aging by the EC Directive on Packaging

and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC). The EC

Directive was implemented by the Waste

Management Act of 20 May 1996 and the

Waste Management (Packaging) Regula-

tions 1997, updated in March 2003. Repak,

as the only government approved packaging

compliance scheme, has to date agreed to

meet Ireland’s EU recycling targets. Ireland

recently achieved its 2005 EU packaging


I R E L A N D

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?Repak as part of a national strategy group

for packaging waste recycling (NSGPWR)

has been strenuously lobbying the govern-

ment for a reduction in the de minimis

entry level of 25 tonnes to a more reason-

able level of 15 or even 10 tonnes. The objec-

tive of this is to bring more producers into

the funding net and thereby increase the

amount of income available to Repak to

fund ever increasing national targets. An

outcome to this debate is expected by the

middle of 2006. Forthcoming changes in

the legislation are also expected to bring

about greater equity between self-compli-

ers and companies that opt for member-

ship of Repak.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?Repak’s target for 2006 is nearing 600,000

tonnes. Despite the ever increasing rate of

growth in annual targets, Repak views the

prospects for the future of packaging recov-

ery and recycling in Ireland as quite good.

Volume targets, per se, are not the problem –

recycling has now become an established

part of the national psyche and all the main

stakeholders have fully bought into it with-

out question. The cost of recycling and the

mix of recovery locations between the

industrial and domestic sectors is the dif-

ficult equation that Repak, as the national

compliance scheme, has to manage on

behalf of its paying members.

A burning issue right now is the grow-

ing demand from the local authorities for

“full cost recovery”; a reality that has to be

balanced against our members’ ability to

absorb ever increasing recycling costs. The

outcome of this debate will determine the

shape and approach of Repak in the com-

ing years.

Repak’s dependence on vigorous en-

forcement of the packaging regulations

by the local authorities will continue to be

a cornerstone of our interface with gov-

ernment for the foreseeable future. It has

to be said that the quality of enforcement

of the regulations by the statutory agencies

has greatly improved through 2004 and

2005 and this continuing improvement is

expected to help Repak to meet its mem-

bership recruitment targets over the com-

ing years.


Packaging material type Fees in euros/tonne for 2006

71.70

64.97

95.59

7.87

19.49

76.45

67.31

9.09

Aluminium

Composite A (paper/plastic)

Composite B (steel/aluminium)

Glass

Paper

Plastics

Steel

Wood

RECYCLING TARGETS AND RESULTS (in tonnes)


Repak recycling target 2005

Recycling target achieved in 2005

48,000

248,000

43,000

101,000

131,000

571,000

Metals

Paper/cardboard

Plastics

Glass

Wood

TOTAL

45,000

247,000

38,000

94,000

111,000

535,000

Currently, Ireland does not have any energy recovery facilities. It has therefore met its EU targets throughpure recycling and will continue to do so in the immediate future.

Repak fees are based on the principle of shared responsibility to ensure that the cost of recovery andrecycling is spread across the supply chain. This is split into five categories: manufacturer, converter,brand owner/importer, distributor/wholesaler and retailer. The fees to members comprise two distinctelements – participation fees and material specific fees. Participation fees are charged at a flat fee per tonne,irrespective of material type. Manufacturers, converters and distributors/wholesalers have to pay 1.76 eurosper tonne and retailers pay 3.51 euros per tonne. Material specific fees are charged to brand owner/importersand are based on the weight of each participating material placed on the market by the members. All feesare calculated on the basis of statistics supplied relating to the previous year and are fixed for a one yearperiod from 1 January.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?Repak is a not-for-profit members-based compliancescheme established under a voluntary agreementbetween industry and the Irish Government in 1997.

How many regular members of staff are employed?31 employees (as of March 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?2,200 (as of March 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?Transport and sales packaging is collected. Repak members represent manufacturers, converters,brand owners/importers, distributors/wholesalers and retailers nationwide.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?Independent recovery operators and local authoritiesreceive subsidies from Repak for each tonne of pack-aging waste they collect and send to a reprocessor or recycler. These subsidies vary by material type, by sourceand by collection method, with more being paid formaterials collected through kerbside/household collec-tions.


Repak Limited Red Cow Interchange Estate

1 Ballymount RoadClondalkin, Dublin 22, Ireland

Phone: (+353-1) 4 67 01 90Fax: (+353-1) 4 67 01 97


49


SLOPAK D.O.O.

STABLE COOPERATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY

50

Barbara Avcin-Trzanˇ ˇ

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?The system operated by the recovery organ-

isation Slopak d.o.o. is based on the Rules

on the Management of Packaging and Pack-

aging Waste of 2000 which were updated

in 2001 and govern the collection, recov-

ery, recycling and disposal of packaging

waste. Together with the Environmental

Protection Act, these Rules form the

national legal framework with which Euro-

pean Directive 94/62/EC was transposed

into national law in 2000.

The Integrated Recovery System is a

key instrument of the National Strategic

Plan for Municipal Solid Waste and aims at

achieving 50 per cent of the recovery targets

set forth by the EC Packaging Directive for

Slovenia. By 31 December 2007 Slopak

d.o.o. has to achieve annual recycling tar-

gets set by the Ministry of Environment in

an Operating Programme implementing

the Act on Producer Responsibility in rela-

tion to the total volume of packaging placed

on the market by all system participants.

They are as follows: 50 per cent recovery,

whereby 25 per cent of this must be recycled

with a minimum recycling goal of 15 per

cent per material. Slopak is also obliged to

submit an annual report to the Environ-

mental Agency of Slovenia by 31 March of

the following year documenting the total

weight of packaging placed on the market

by the system participants as well as the total

weight of recycled packaging waste.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Membership is available to every company

obliged to fulfil the targets for the recycling

of packaging waste. Companies have to

accept the fees charged by Slopak for its

services, which are the same for all mem-

bers of the system.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?By providing financial and technical sup-

port, Slopak is helping to establish a nation-

wide scheme for effective integrated pack-

aging waste management in Slovenia.

Slopak ensures

• that the provisions of the EC Packaging

Directive are adhered to,

• that the recovery/recycling targets set for

industry are met,

• that there is close cooperation with

the municipalities in order to fulfil the

targets.

Added to this, Slopak organises informa-

tion campaigns for industry and consumers

and supports environmental education pro-

grammes.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?Slopak has managed to include more than

75 per cent of all the packaging waste gen-

erated each year in Slovenia in the system.

This goes to prove that the system is play-

ing a significant role in reducing munici-

pal waste and is simultaneously making

a valuable contribution to environmental

protection.

Slopak also attaches great importance

to environmental education, especially for

children. This has led to positive and meas-

urable impacts on the environment, and is

seen by all parties concerned as a vitally

important commitment.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?Since the Slopak system is responsible for

75 per cent of all the packaging circulated


51

S L O V E N I A

on the Slovenian market, it can on the whole

be considered to be reasonably stable.

Nevertheless, a few potential competitors

are currently investigating the market with

a view to establishing a comparable system

to that run by Slopak.

To brace itself for this competitive

challenge, Slopak intends to capitalise on

its forerunner position by further de-

veloping and optimising its system struc-

ture.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?No significant changes are expected un-

til the year 2007, although some minor

changes may occur in connection with the

development of the system.

Basically, this is due to the fact that

some experts believe the Rules on Manage-

ment of Packaging and Packaging Waste

and other relevant laws are too lax and

lenient to be able to support the system

to an adequate extent. For example, the

penalties for failing to comply with national

legislation are disproportionately low.

Changes are expected when the revised

EC Packaging Directive enters into force.


Packaging material type Fees in euros/tonne for 2006

34.00

56.00

29.00

50.00

78.00

31.00

59.00

41.00

45.00

33.00

58.00

400.00

Glass

Paper (sales)

Paper (common and transport)

Plastics (sales PET)

Plastics (sales)

Plastics (common and transport)

Metals

Wood

Other materials

Composites (I)*

Composites (II)**

Packaging for hazardous substances***

* Composites (I) – a) paper and plastics, b) paper, plastics and aluminium** Composites (II) – other composites*** Packaging of hazardous substances (T, T+, E, O)The amount will be exchanged into SIT on the date of the issue of an invoice, according to the valid rate ofexchange of the Bank of Slovenia. The packaging fees do not include the statutory VAT.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?The milestones expected to affect Slopak

and govern the system’s future prospects

are set out below.

The collection and recycling of pack-

aging waste has become an integral

part of business life in Slovenia. Slopak

has solicited and won major industrial

players for cooperation with the system

with a view to enhancing its operational

structure.

• By the end of 2006 more than 48 per cent

of the packaging waste on the Slovenian

market will be collected and recovered. By

the end of 2007 Slopak aims to achieve a

51 per cent recovery target for packaging

waste in Slovenia.

• More than 75 per cent of the Slovenian

population already has access to collection

systems for packaging waste. Packaging

waste is collected in all major shops and

shopping malls in Slovenia.

• Between 2006 and 2007 the number of

people covered by the Slopak system will

grow to an even greater extent. The pack-

aging waste recovery system will also be

extended to include smaller shops.

RECOVERY TARGETS

Packaging material type Statutory recovery target 2003/2004 (%)

21

50

9

40

23

Metals

Paper/cardboard

Plastics

Glass

Wood

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?Slopak d.o.o. was founded in June 2002 by 21 share-holders, mostly fillers, in addition to packaging manufacturers, packers, importers and retailers.Business operation started on 1 January 2003. TheMinistry of Environment approved the system in July 2003. The Slopak system was fully operational by 1 January 2004.

How many regular members of staff are employed?Eleven members of staff and one part-time assistant (as of March 2006). Some work is being done throughoutsourcing.

How many licensees/members does the system have?Approximately 1,300 members (as of March 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?Since early 2004 Slopak has been responsible for alltypes of nonreusable packaging – household,commercial and industrial packaging (secondary andtransport). Hazardous packaging is also included.Slopak covers the entire sales trade as well as packersand fillers, while packaging waste from private households is collected by the municipalities. Thesystem plans to operate on a nationwide basis.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?Slopak is financed by the fillers, packers and import-ers taking part in the system in a clear adoption of theprinciple of shared responsibility.


Slopak d.o.o.Parmova 41

1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaPhone: (+386-1) 2 80 20 50

Fax: (+ 386-1) 2 80 20 70E-mail: [email protected], [email protected],

www.slopak.si


SOCIEDADE PONTO VERDE, S.A.

COOPERATION WITH INDUSTRY AND THE MUNICIPALITIES

52

Henrique Agostinho

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are theobligations to be met?The implementation of European Direc-

tive 94/62/EC in Portugal was achieved by

creating a national legal framework which

comprises the Law Decree No. 366-A/97

and the Regulation Ordinance No. 29-B/98.

Passed in December 1997 and January 1998

respectively, and updated in July 2000 by

the Law Decree No. 162/2000, they set the

basic principles and rules for a Packaging

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?At the moment, the only necessary pre-

requisite for companies to become licensees

of Sociedade Ponto Verde (SPV) is that they

have to be fillers or packers and importers

legally established in Portugal, i.e. with at

least one office located on Portuguese

territory or a legal representative there.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?SPV is helping to establish effective inte-

grated Municipal Solid Waste manage-

ment in Portugal by providing financial

and technical support to municipalities

willing to implement multi-material col-

lection programmes. Using both door-to-

door collection schemes and specific con-

tainers for a bring system, the municipal-

ities take over the selective collection and

sorting of household packaging waste and

are reimbursed by SPV for the additional

cost incurred as a result of these oper-

ations. In addition, they are also entitled

to receive financial and technical sup-

port from SPV for awareness campaigns

undertaken to gain or increase public

acceptance of the selective collection

programmes implemented by them. As

of December 2005, 99.7 per cent of the

Portuguese population was able to benefit

from the service provided by Sociedade

Ponto Verde.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?Under its own umbrella, SPV has intro-

duced an innovative cooperation model

involving several partners from industry

and the municipalities with the objective

of meeting a common environmental goal.

This successful cooperation was the basis

for setting up a nationwide selective col-

lection and recycling system for packaging

waste, thus enabling the Portuguese state

to make significant progress in reducing

the volume of waste consigned to landfill

and contributing to the protection and




2005 (%)


2005 (%)

Recyclingtarget achieved

in 2005 (%) *

50

50

50

50

50

50

15

15

15

15

15

15

53

n/a

21

34

18

52

Recyclingtarget achievedin 2005 (%) **

31

9

32

1

-

23

Paper/cardboard

Composites

Plastics

Glass

Wood

Metals

and Packaging Waste Management System

designed to cover all types of packaging –

both reusable and non-reusable.

The Integrated Recovery System is a key

instrument of the National Strategic Plan for

Municipal Solid Waste and aims at achieving

70 per cent of the recovery targets stipulated

by the revised EC Packaging Directive for Por-

tugal: 60 per cent by weight of the total pack-

aging must be recovered by the end of 2011

and 55 per cent of this must be recycled,with

a minimum goal of 60 per cent for glass and

paper/cardboard, 50 per cent for metal, 22.5

per cent for plastic and 15 per cent for wood.

* Packaging licensed by SPV** Packaging placed on the market


53

P O R T U G A L

conservation of natural resources and

energy. At the same time SPV has given

financial and technical support to research

and development projects aimed at improv-

ing sorting and recycling technologies.

Such projects were devised by the nation-

al business community and university

research centres. In fact, SPV has co-

financed R&D projects totalling 1.3 mil-

lion euros since 1999.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?In general, selective collection programmes

are well accepted by the Portuguese popu-

lation. For instance, the participation

level of Portuguese consumers increased

by 19 per cent to a total of 49 per cent in

just one year – from 2002 to 2003. This

higher participation rate in selective col-

lection systems has simultaneously led to

growing expectations as regards both the

availability and the quality of the collec-

tion facilities provided by the system. Con-

sumers are calling for more widespread

and specific information on separation

rules and regulations; they are demand-

ing more sorting equipment and are ask-

ing for enhanced collection solutions that

will make it easier and more fun to par-

ticipate. Since 1998 SPV has spent around

16.5 million euros on communication and

awareness campaigns targeting the Por-

tuguese population. Among other things

this has led to approximately 1,753,000

face-to-face contacts. In addition, a series

of prominent TV campaigns has been

developed with the aim of fostering a

change in consumer conduct and deeply-

seated behavioural patterns as well as moti-

vating the Portuguese people to partici-

pate in the selective collection and disposal

of their packaging waste. Further cam-

paigns will be introduced in the coming

months.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?No major changes are expected within the

legal framework for packaging waste man-

agement in the near future.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?The revision of the EC Directive on Pack-

aging and Packaging Waste sets very chal-

lenging new recovery and recycling targets

for Portugal and SPV in particular. This

will bring a higher operational and finan-

cial expenditure for the Integrated System

and all partners involved. Sociedade Ponto

Verde will largely be responsible for co-

ordinating the distribution of responsibi-

lities and duties to numerous local author-

ities and private waste management part-

ners within the Integrated System. This

means that common goals and needs will

have to be agreed upon in order to guar-

antee and promote services and infrastruc-

tures for the consumer and the system’s

cooperation partners. SPV’s key goal for

the future is to develop a more cost effec-

tive and efficient Integrated System which

will be able to achieve both present and

future recycling targets – which are likely

to become even more stringent – on a sus-

tainable basis.


Packaging material type2005 Green Dot fees

(excl. VAT)in euros/kg

Category A

Category A

Category B

Category A

Category B

Category A

Category B

Category A

Category B

Category A

Category B

Category A

0.0081

0.0998

0.0998

0.0358

0.0358

0.0351

0.0351

0.0597

0.0597

0.0039

0.0039

0.1264

Glass

Plastics

Paper/cardboard

Steel

Aluminium

Wood

Other materials

The licence fees are calculated on the basis of material type and weight. They are paid by packers and fillersdepending on the weight and category of the packaging placed on the Portuguese market per annum.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?Sociedade Ponto Verde, S.A. (SPV) was officially registered on 5 November 1996 and started businessoperation on 1 January 1998. SPV’s founders andshareholders represent the filling and packing branch.More detailed information about the shareholders isgiven at www.pontoverde.pt.

How many regular members of staff are employed?45 professionals, organised in six departments(as of December 2005).

How many licensees/members does the system have?7,374 licensees (as of December 2005).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?SPV handles all types of non-reusable packaging,both household and industrial: primary, secondary andtransport as well as sales packaging made of glass,paper/cardboard, steel (tinplate), aluminium, plasticand/or wood. Hazardous packaging is excluded.SPV is entitled to cover all kinds of places generatingpackaging waste: private households, wholesale trade, small businesses – and more specificallyhotels/restaurants/cafés, industrial and agriculturalfacilities. The system operates on a nationwide basis.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The system is financed by the payments made by fillers and importers in a clear adoption of the principleof shared responsibility.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?At present SPV’s licensees are legally obliged to imprintthe “Green Dot” symbol on their primary packaging.They may print it on all other types of packaging, butthis is not required either by law or by contract with SPV.

Sociedade Ponto Verde, S. A.Edifício Infante D. Henrique,

Rua João Chagas, N° 53 – 1° Dt°Cruz-Quebrada – Dafundo

1495-764 Dafundo, Portugal Phone: (+351) 2 10 10 24 00

Fax: (+351) 2 10 10 24 99E-mail: [email protected]

www.pontoverde.pt


VALORLUX ASBL

SUCCESSFUL VENTURE FOR WASTE RECOVERYAND PREVENTION

54

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are theobligations to be met?EC Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and

Packaging Waste was transposed into

national law in Luxembourg by means of

the Grand-Ducal Regulation of 31 October

1998, entering into force on 1 January 1999.

According to the Grand-Ducal Ordinance,

55 per cent by weight of the packaging waste

has to be recovered. Furthermore, 45 per

cent of this must be recycled with a mini-

mum of 15 per cent per material.

In addition, the system must provide

information to both the public and the

Environment Administration, which con-

trols compliance with these regulations.

All packaging users and consumers need

to be informed about waste prevention,

collecting systems and their contribution

to the scheme.

Finally, the system is obliged to organ-

ise or participate in actions to prevent

packaging waste.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?Any new licensee has to sign a member-

ship contract, fill in the identification form

and pay an entrance fee. The first declara-

tion must be made 30 days after accept-

ance of the contract. Membership is retro-

active to 1 January 1999.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?With reference to technical and financial

aspects, there are contractual links between

VALORLUX and the municipalities, the

operators in charge of waste collection, the

sorting centres and the recycling channels,

between the municipalities and the oper-

ators, and between the recycling channels,

preparers and recyclers.

Added to this, VALORLUX maintains

an open and frequent dialogue with the

Environment Administration. They have

even joined efforts in a common project:

“The voluntary agreement concerning

packaging waste prevention”. The result of

this venture is the eco-bag, the reusable

shopping bag that is enjoying continuing

popularity among the local population.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?In 2005, 36,500 tonnes of packaging, cor-

responding to 66 per cent of the total pack-

aging waste produced in Luxembourg, were

recycled, thus reducing the need for land-

filling or incineration.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?The public, the local authorities, the En-

vironment Administration and the oper-

ators all hold VALORLUX in esteem.A study

performed in 2003 revealed that 95 per cent

Robert Liberton


55

L U X E M B O U R G




2005 2006 in %

0.0128

0.0283

0.0376

0.1275

0.2850

0.2850

0.2850

0.2415

0.3306

0.3636

0.0145

0.0395

0.0149

0.0330

0.0386

0.1530

0.2792

0.2792

0.2792

0.2843

0.3298

0.3627

0.0135

0.0385

16.41

16.61

2.66

20.00

-2.04

-2.04

-2.04

17.72

-0.24

-0.25

-6.90

-2.53

Glass

Paper/cardboard

Steel

Aluminium

PET bottles

PVC bottles

HDPE bottles

Beverage cartons

Others recoverable

Others non-recoverable

Commercial paper/cardboard

Commercial other materials

On 16. September 2005, the administrative board of VALORLUX decided on new Green Dot fees for the following year. The fees for five materials have been increased, whereas the fees for the seven other materialshave been decreased slightly.




2005 (%)

Recovery targetachieved in

2005 (%)


2005 (%)


in 2005 (%)

-

-

-

-

-

55

-

-

-

-

-

66.65

15

15

15

15

15

45

66.44

90.21

38.35

62.60

85.95

66.04

Glass

Paper/cardboard

Plastic

Metals

Beverage cartons

TOTAL


Fees in euros/kg (excl. VAT) Change

of the users of the blue bag system are totally

satisfied with it. Blue bags are used to col-

lect plastic bottles and containers, metal

packaging and beverage cartons (PMC) and

are picked up from consumers’ homes on

a door-to-door basis. VALORLUX coordi-

nates, promotes and creates collection sys-

tems in the field of packaging waste.

All of the country’s 116 municipal-

ities benefit from the financial support

granted by VALORLUX for the collection

and recycling of glass and paper/cardboard.

The PMC collection system is established

in 83 of these municipalities and the num-

ber is growing steadily.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?No.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?VALORLUX wants to simplify administra-

tive procedures in order to improve the con-

tribution made to the system by all parties

responsible for packaging.

In other words, VALORLUX intends:

• to sign more collaboration agreements

with different federations such as the one

they recently signed with the Luxembourg

Trade Confederacy in order to ensure that

small companies and retailers can better

comply with national legislation. The

latter can now benefit from “sectorial

declarations”, a simpler form of declaration

that is better adapted to their needs

• to keep on proposing that the supplier of

“service packaging” should take over the

declaration of the packaging delivered to

customers

• to simplify the declarations in general.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?VALORLUX asbl was founded on 2 October 1995 andstarted business operation on 1 January 1997. Twenty-three companies from the food and non-food sectorsand six sustaining members, including the chamber of business, the chamber of labour and the chamber ofagriculture, set up the system.

How many regular members of staff are employed?Nine employees (as of January 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?993 licensees (as of January 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?The system collects sales packaging from householdsand assimilated packaging, commercial packaging,group and transport packaging. Private households,schools and distributors of household products arecovered by VALORLUX. The system operates in all 116 municipalities.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?The system is financed by payments made by thosemarket participants circulating packaging on thenational market, e.g. packers, producers, importers anddistributors of private labels. Foreign suppliers can joinVALORLUX in place of their customers.


VALORLUX asblB.P. 26

3205 Leudelange, Luxembourg Phone: (+35-2) 37 00 06-1

Fax: (+35-2) 37 11 37 E-mail: [email protected]

www.valorlux.lu





(%)


(%)

Recovery and recyclingtarget achieved

in 2005 (%)

40

40

18

25

20

20

35

40

16

25

20

20

40

40

18

25

20

20

Paper/cardboard

Glass

Plastics

Metals

Composites

Other materials

Total packaging waste recovered and recycled in 2005: 25,500 tonnes

ZALIASIS TASKAS

TRENDSETTER FOR PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY

56

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are theobligations to be met?The system is based on the Law on the

Management of Packaging and Packaging

Waste (adopted in 2001, entered into force

on 1 January 2003). This Law sets general

requirements for the documentation, mark-

ing, collection and use of packaging and

packaging waste. The Law on the Tax on

Environmental Pollution (adopted in 2002,

entered into force on 1 January 2003,

amended later) introduces a tax on pack-

aging, thus implementing the “polluter

pays” principle. According to the Law, the

producer must pay a tax or organise the

management of taxed waste as an alterna-

tive. If he fails to accomplish the set targets

for the recovery and recycling of waste he

must pay the tax to the Product and Pack-

aging Waste Management Programme

which is prescribed in the Law on Waste

Management (adopted in 1998 with many

later amendments).

Important changes were made to

national regulations in 2005. The Amend-

ments to the Law on Waste Management

which entered into force on 1 January 2006

define the prerequisites for officially author-

ised organisations. Following the Amend-

ments to the Law on the Tax on Environ-

mental Pollution, secondary and tertiary

packaging is now included in the calcula-

tion basis for packaging recovery targets.

These changes will allow Zaliasis taskas to

utilise and implement international know-

how in organising a system driven by pro-

ducer responsibility.

What are the prerequisites a companyhas to fulfil to become a member/licensee of the system?All companies can become licensees of the

Zaliasis taskas system, provided that their

packaging fulfils the prerequisites of the

national law.

How does the system cooperate with the local authorities and wastemanagement partners?Cooperation with waste management com-

panies is organised on a contractual basis.

All waste management companies must

have an agreement with the local munici-

pality or regional waste management

centre allowing them to operate in a particu-

lar area. Contracts are also signed with

recyclers approved by the Ministry of Envi-

ronment to ensure that collected and sorted

waste is recycled and that the objectives set

by the government are fulfilled. Today Zalia-

sis taskas has cooperation contracts with

waste management companies covering the

whole territory of Lithuania.

What successes has the system had sofar with respect to the reduction ofwaste and environmental protection?The past three years of operation have

shown steady growth in recovery and

recycling activities. Zaliasis taskas started

in 2003 with 33,000 tonnes of licensed

sales packaging and 4,800 tonnes of recyc-

led waste packaging. At the end of 2005,

the figure was 73,000 tonnes of licensed

packaging, 25,200 tonnes of which were

recycled.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?Zaliasis taskas is the only organisation

based on the principle of producer respon-

sibility in Lithuania and the most firmly

established packaging recovery system,

despite some 40 competitors on the mar-

ket. The name “Zaliasis taskas”, which lit-

erally means “the green dot”, stands for

unique international experience and prac-

tice in the field of packaging recycling.

Saulius Zvirblis

ˇ ˇ

ˇ

ˇ ˇ

ˇ ˇ

ˇ

ˇ

ˇ ˇ

ˇ ˇ

ˇ ˇ


57

L I T H U A N I A

The public is increasingly coming to asso-

ciate the name with selective collection and

sorting because of community-addressed

activities, initiatives and special events of

this kind. The business community is also

increasingly coming to rely on the compre-

hensive services of Zaliasis taskas and the

fact that system participants are totally

exempted from paying the packaging tax.

In 2005, half of the packaging was recov-

ered by our partners with the aid of our

financing model. The new ordinance of

2006 will support the development of

Zaliasis taskas into a national system inte-

grating expertise, operations, financing,

reporting and education.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?Structural changes that were made to le-

gislation in 2005 entered into force in 2006:

all types of packaging now form the cal-


Packaging material type Fees in euros/kg for 2006 (excl. VAT)

0.016

0.056

0.028

0.064

0.069

0.043

Paper/cardboard

Glass

Plastics

Metals

Composites

Other materials

Licence fees are weight-based in respect of the registered amount of packaging put on the market. They arecalculated per kilogram of packaging and differentiated by packaging material.

culation basis for the recovery targets. Oper-

ating regulations were introduced, licens-

ing prerequisites stipulated for producer

responsibility organisations and new tar-

iffs set for the pollution tax, etc. These legal

amendments will open up new perspectives

for business and have a positive impact on

Zaliasis taskas’ activities.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?The greatest challenge is to make Zaliasis

taskas the first officially authorised pro-

ducer responsibility organisation. This will

lead to additional benefits for individual

producers, the authorities and the commu-

nity. The concentrated work of the past few

years will pay off and lead to higher secur-

ity, fewer formalities for producers, lower

recovery tariffs, better statistics for the

authorities, more information and a cleaner

environment for the community.

ˇ ˇ

ˇ

ˇˇ ˇ

ˇ ˇ

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?Zaliasis taskas was founded in September 2002 by 35local and multinational companies that currently repre-sent all business sectors – packaging producers, packedproducts manufacturers, retailers and distributors aswell as waste management companies. The official reg-istration of the system was on 5 December 2002 andbusiness operation started in May 2003.

How many regular members of staff are employed?Eight regular members (as of May 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?600 licensees (as of May 2006).

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?Sales packaging and transport packaging are collected,however packaging for chemicals and hazardous wasteis excluded. The wholesale trade, small businesses andprivate households are covered by the system that cur-rently operates throughout Lithuania.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?Fillers and importers finance the collection, sorting andrecovery of packaging waste.

Are companies legally obliged to print the“Green Dot” symbol on their packaging?Companies licensed with Zaliasis taskas are allowed toattach the “Green Dot” symbol to their packaging.However, there is no obligation to do so.

PBC Zaliasis taskasZalgirio st. 131

08217 Vilnius, Lithuania Phone: (+370-5) 2 33 11 52, 2 75 59 07

Fax: (+370-5) 2 3364 35E-mail: [email protected],

[email protected], www.greendot.lt

ˇˇ ˇ

ˇ ˇ

ˇ ˇ


tional policies. The provincial govern-

ments can establish regulations involv-

ing industry packaging and product

stewardship that they believe best serve

the waste diversion goals of the province.

Actual waste management operations are

established and managed by the individ-

ual municipalities within the province,

governed by the provincial regulations.

Ontario’s packaging and printed paper

regulation which has been operating since

2004 requires brand owners and first

importers to fund 50 per cent of the net

cost of municipal “Blue Box” recycling

programmes, i.e. the kerbside collection

of packaging and printed paper. A simi-

lar programme will begin in Quebec in

2006. Together, Ontario and Quebec rep-

resent 65 per cent of Canada’s population.

Similar regulations are being considered

in other provinces.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?While municipal recycling services are

well developed across Canada, awareness

CSR

COOPERATION PARTNER IN NORTH AMERICA

58

How does the Canadian CSR system differ from the “Green Dot Schemes”in Europe?CSR works on behalf of brand owners,

retailers and industry to promote cost effec-

tive solutions for managing packaging,

printed materials and products at the end

of their useful life. Key objectives of the cor-

poration include:

• Promoting harmonisation of new product

stewardship initiatives being implemen-

ted by provincial governments across

Canada in order to ensure a level play-

ing field and minimise the burden on

industry.

• Minimising costs to members in dis-

charging their obligations in the most

administratively efficient manner.

While “Green Dot Schemes” in Europe

raise funds from licence fees to operate

packaging recovery programmes, Green

Dot North America’s mandate is to protect

the “Green Dot” trademark in Canada,

Mexico and the United States. The licence

fee is used to cover costs associated with

identifying and licensing users of the sym-

bol on packaging sold in North America.

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are the obligations to be met?There are no national regulations in

Canada, the United States or Mexico spe-

cific to the Green Dot, as there are in

Europe. In Canada, for example, waste man-

agement regulations are the responsibility

of each provincial government and waste

management systems and operations are

the responsibility of individual municipal-

ities. Each provincial government has regu-

lations in place addressing various areas

of producer responsibility. Some examples

are regulations for beverage container

deposit/return programmes, used motor

oil and waste electronic equipment. Regu-

lations on packaging are in place in the

Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, but the

Green Dot is not part of these programmes.

To what extent do the business community, local authoritiesand waste management systems cooperate in Canada?Waste management systems vary from

province to province based on jurisdic-

Gordon Day


59

C A N A D A

of the “Green Dot” symbol remains low

given that only a very small percentage of

packages carry the symbol. Since Green

Dot North America’s mandate is to protect

the trademark, communication activities

are targeted at companies which display the

“Green Dot”symbol on their packaging and

products marketed in Canada, the United

States and Mexico. These companies typ-

ically are brand owners of a wide range of

food and consumer products that have

packaging, e.g. toys, biscuits, cosmetics, soft-

ware, electronics.

The companies are identified by lo-

cating products that have the symbol on

the packaging. Green Dot North America

notifies the company and begins the process

of having them sign a licensing agreement

and pay the fee.

At present, approximately 160 com-

panies pay the licensing fee annually for the

right to continue using the symbol on pack-

aging for the North American market.

Green Dot North America has the respon-

sibility, as licensed by Der Grüne Punkt –

Duales System Deutschland GmbH (DSD),

to protect the trademark in the three coun-

tries: Canada, the United States and Mexico,

even though these countries do not have

Green Dot packaging ordinances.

International companies that do

business on a global scale generally in-

corporate the “Green Dot” symbol on their

packaging to comply with the packaging

ordinances in PRO EUROPE countries.

When they market their products in North

America, they frequently use the same

packaging designs that display the symbol.

Under Green Dot North America require-

ments, these companies must apply for

and get a licence to continue to display the

symbol on packaging that is introduced

into Canadian, United States or Mexican

markets. If they prefer not to get a licence,

they are required to remove the symbol

from this packaging.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?New “Extended Producer Responsibility”

legislation and regulations are being

implemented by provinces and territories

across Canada, encompassing an ever

widening array of materials and products.

CSR is working on behalf of its members

to promote increased harmonisation of

these programmes in an effort to reduce

the administrative and compliance costs

to industry.

In the Province of Ontario, CSR

serves as the Secretariat to Stewardship

Ontario which is charged with implement-

ing a comprehensive recycling programme

for all consumer packaging and printed

papers.

CSR also works closely with other

national and provincial industry steward-

ship organisations to design, implement

and manage effective product stewardship

programmes.

In 2006, with support from three

provincial stewardship organisations,

Green Dot North America has joined the

PRO EUROPE Youth Eco-Parliament®

project – the first time a country outside

of Europe has been invited to participate.

The YEP project is an opportunity for

young people to get involved in en-

vironmental citizenship on a local and

global basis through their schools.

More details about the Youth Eco-Par-

liament® can be found at the website

www.yep-canada.ca.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?CSR was established in 1986 as a non-profit, private sector organisation that represents the packaging stewardship interests of consumer product manu-facturers, retailers and packaging industries.It created Green Dot Canada as a division in 2002 toprotect the trademark in Canada. In 2004, DSD andPRO EUROPE extended CSR’s licence to act as its agentin protecting the trademark for continental NorthAmerica. At that time, the division changed its name to“Green Dot North America”.

How many regular members of staff are employed?CSR has a staff of 22, who support Green Dot North America on a part-time basis, providing management, accounting and legal liaison services.

How many licensees/members does the system have?Since 2002, Green Dot North America has licensed 160 corporations to use the “Green Dot” symbol ontheir packaging marketed in North America.The companies that have registered under Green DotNorth America can be found on the website atwww.greendot.ca. Over 470 companies have been notified of “Green Dot” symbol use in North America.

Which types of packaging typically carry the“Green Dot” in Canada?Packaging bearing the “Green Dot” trademark is primarily consumer packaging, although the trademarkis also found on transportation packaging and somecommercial products packaging.

Green Dot North America™c/o CSR, 26 Wellington St., East

Suite 601Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5E 1S2

Phone: (+1-416) 5 94-34 56Fax: (+1-416) 5 94-34 63

E-mail: [email protected], www.csr.org


VALPAK LTD.

A COOPERATION PARTNER WITH A DIFFERENCE

James Skidmore

How does the UK system differfrom the “Green Dot Schemes” on theContinent?The UK system has been designed to ex-

actly meet, and not exceed, the targets con-

tained within the Packaging Directive by

targeting most easily collected material

from both household and commercial

waste streams.

The recovery and recycling targets to

be met by the UK are cross-referenced at

the start of the year with the market share

(measured in the amount of packaging

handled) of each UK business, giving each

a quantity, in tonnes, that they must re-

cycle or recover – and if every obligated

company in the UK recycles their allo-

cated “obligation”, the overall UK target

will be met.

Each business then funds its allocated

recycling obligation through the purchase

There are other differences between the

UK and the Green Dot system. For exam-

ple, only companies handling more than

50 tonnes of packaging per year and with a

turnover in excess of £2 million need to re-

gister. Furthermore, obligations are spread

throughout the supply chain. Obligated

companies may buy PRNs directly from

reprocessors or join a compliance scheme.

Valpak is the largest UK scheme with

approximately 50 per cent market share.

Which national legislation is the system based on? And what are theobligations to be met?EC Directive 94/62/EC became national law

in 1997 by the transposition of the Producer

Responsibility Obligations (Packaging

Waste) Regulations (1997). These were sub-

sequently amended in 1999, 2003 and 2005.

Under this legislation, obligated companies

must comply by completing the following:

• Register with the appropriate Environ-

ment Agency.

• Supply data about the amount of pack-

aging upon which they perform a pres-

cribed activity (used to calculate their

recycling and recovery “obligations” in

tonnes).

• Purchase enough PRNs to discharge their

obligations.

How does the system cooperate with the waste management partnersand the local authorities?Obligated companies (usually through

compliance schemes) buy PRNs from

reprocessors.

of “Packaging Waste Recovery Notes”(PRNs).

These are tradable recycling certificates

generated by government-accredited recyc-

ling companies. The purchase price of the

PRN depends on the material it represents

and the market.

For example, if there is a shortage of

plastic recycling to meet an increased recyc-

ling target then plastic PRNs will be in

short supply. The plastic PRN price will

therefore increase and, as a result, more

money will be available to plastic reproces-

sors to invest in collection and recycling

infrastructure.

60


61


This provides additional funds to re-

processors to stimulate investment in

recycling capacity or collection. Many

local authorities collect packaging mater-

ial to help them meet their own targets

related to the Landfill Directive, and

often work with reprocessors and compli-

ance schemes to increase the collection

infrastructure.

There is no direct requirement for

PRN revenues to fund local authority pro-

jects.

How well is the system accepted by the public? And how far is the system established in the national market?There is widescale recognition that the

UK market system has driven down the

cost of compliance for producers in the

UK to one of the lowest in Europe and

most businesses who handle packaging are

aware of and accept the system. Consumers

in the UK are unlikely to know about the

PRN system, because local authorities

largely undertake the collection of domes-

tic material. It is the role of the govern-

ment and the local authorities to promote

the use of the collection systems they pro-

vide as this helps meet their recycling tar-

gets and reduce waste collection costs.

There is also a requirement on obligated

companies to educate the public about

their local collection facilities and recyc-

ling in general. This is called the Con-

sumer Information Obligation (CIO). To

offset this obligation, Valpak has created

the website www.recycle-more.co.uk,

which includes information on recycling

and a local recycling information search

engine.

How are the licence fees calculated?Fees are dependent on the PRN price,

which is market driven.

Do you expect any changes in thenational legislation which might havean effect on your system?The UK regulations have been amended on

numerous occasions since 1997 and we

would expect this process of evolution to

continue.We do not envisage any wholesale

change to the design of the PRN system.

How do you expect your system todevelop in the near future? What areyour system’s prospects?Valpak is already active in numerous areas

as well as packaging compliance.

• We offer a fully managed data calculation

and submission service.

• We own the rights to a new generation

of recycling banks used at numerous

retail and local authority sites in the

UK.

• We are extremely active in the emerging

waste electronic compliance market,

having won the national tender to

operate as the single UK retail collection

scheme.

• We own a subsidiary company with

offices in China which exports recovered

material for reprocessing.

• We are planning to offer compliance ser-

vices to UK companies affected by the

forthcoming Battery Directive.

FACTS & FIGURES

When and by whom was the system founded?The system started in 1997 as a result of a workinggroup of industry representatives. This group then established a not-for-profit company that laterbecame Valpak.

How many regular members of staff are employed?Valpak employs around 70 members of staff(as of February 2006).

How many licensees/members does the system have?There are approx. 6,500 group registrations (as ofFebruary 2006) representing around 12,000 companiesin total – however, only companies who have aturnover in excess of £2 million per annum and whohandle more than 50 tonnes of packaging per annumneed to register.

Which types of packaging are collected? And which places generating packaging wasteare covered by the system?All types: primary, secondary and tertiary packaging.The PRN system targets the lowest cost source ofmaterial, hence both household and commercial andindustrial sources of packaging are recycled.

Who finances the collection, sorting and recovery of the packaging waste?• Collection and sorting from households is

primarily financed by local authorities through contracts with waste management companies.

• Collection and sorting from commercial and industrial sources is financed by the businesses producing the waste.

In both cases revenue from the sale of PRN recyclingevidence is available to fund the marginal costs of recovering packaging that would otherwise not berecycled.

Valpak Ltd.Stratford Business Park, Banbury Road

Stratford-upon-Avon, WarwickshireCV 37 7GW, United KingdomPhone: (+44-17 89) 20 87 00

Fax: (+44-17 89) 20 87 69E-mail: [email protected]

www.valpak.co.uk, www.green-dot.org.uk


CONTACT

62

P R O E U R O P E

PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l.

Packaging Recovery

Organisation Europe

Rue Martin V 40

1200 Brussels

Belgium

Phone: (+32-2) 2 30 00 67

Fax: (+32-2) 7 34 62 85


www.pro-europe.info

A U S T R I A

ARA Altstoff Recycling Austria AG

Mariahilfer Straße 123

1062 Vienna

Austria

Phone: (+43-1) 5 99 97-0

Fax: (+43-1) 5 95 35 35


www.ara.at

www.arasystem.at

German Chamber

of Commerce in Austria

Mrs. Sybilla von Einem

Wiedner Hauptstraße 142

1050 Vienna

Austria

Phone: (+43-1) 5 45 14 17-23

Fax: (+43-1) 54 54 22 59


www.dhk.at

C Z E C H R E P U B L I C

EKO-KOM, a.s.

Na Pankráci 19

140 21 Prague 4

Czech Republic

Phone: (+420) 7 29 84 81 11

Fax: (+420) 7 29 84 81 19


www.ekokom.cz

German-Czech Chamber of


Mrs. Hana Potucková

Václavské námestí 40

110 00 Prague 1

Czech Republic

Phone: (+420) 2 21 49 03 06

Fax: (+420) 2 24 22 22 00


www.dtihk.cz

E S T O N I A

ETO – Eesti Taaskasutusorganisatsioon

Masina 11

10144 Tallinn

Estonia

Phone: (+372) 6 00 46 38, 56 63 88 31

Fax: (+372) 6 00 49 00


www.eto.ee

www.rohelinepunkt.ee

Estonian Ministry of the Environment

Narva mnt. 7a

15172 Tallinn

Estonia

Phone: (+327) 6 26 28 02

Fax: (+327) 6 26 28 01


www.envir.ee

Estonian Chamber of

Commerce and Industry

Toom-Kooli 17

10130 Tallinn

Estonia

Phone: (+327) 6 46 02 44

Fax: (+327) 6 46 02 45


www.koda.ee/?lang=en

B E L G I U M

asbl FOST Plus vzw

Rue Martin V 40

1200 Brussels

Belgium

Phone: (+32-2) 7 75 03 50

Fax: (+32-2) 7 71 16 96


www.fostplus.be

Chamber of Commerce

for Belgium, Luxembourg

and Germany

Mrs. Karolien De Meirsman

21, avenue du Boulevard

1210 Brussels

Belgium

Phone: (+32-2) 2 04 01 84

Fax: (+32-2) 2 03 22 71


www.debelux.org

B U L G A R I A

EcoPack Bulgaria JSC

23, Mizia Street

1124 Sofia

Bulgaria

Phone: (+359-2) 9 43 33 54

Fax: (+359-2) 9 43 33 89


www.ecopack.bg

C Y P R U S

Green Dot (Cyprus) Public Co. Ltd.

41-49 Ayios Nicolaos Str.

Nimeli Court, Block B, Off. B21

Engomi, 2408 Nicosia

P.O. Box 25463

1310 Nicosia

Cyprus

Phone: (+357) 70 00 00 90

Fax: (+357) 22 46 45 25


www.cydot.com.cy

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63

F R A N C E

Eco-Emballages S. A.

44, av. Georges Pompidou

92300 Levallois-Perret

France

Phone: (+33-1) 40 89 99 99

Fax: (+33-1) 40 89 99 88


www.ecoemballages.fr

German-French Chamber

of Industry and Commerce

Mrs. Christine Yolin

18, Rue Balard

75015 Paris

France

Phone: (+33-1) 40 58 35 35

Fax: (+33-1) 45 75 47 39


www.francoallemand.com

French Chamber of Commerce

and Industry in Germany

Mrs. Valérie Mischkowitz

Lebacher Straße 4

66113 Saarbrücken

Germany

Phone: (+49-681) 99 63-125

Fax: (+49-681) 99 63-111


www.ccfa.de

G E R M A N Y

Der Grüne Punkt –

Duales System Deutschland GmbH

51170 Cologne

Germany

Phone: (+49-22 03) 9 37-0

Fax: (+49-22 03) 9 37-190


www.gruener-punkt.de

The German Federal

Environment Ministry

Alexanderplatz 6

10178 Berlin

Germany

Phone: (+49-18 88) 3 05-0

Fax: (+49-18 88) 3 05-43 75


www.bmu.de

G R E E C E

HERRCo

Hellenic Recovery and Recycling

Corporation

Tatoiou 21

Kifissia 14561

Greece

Phone: (+30-210) 8 01 09-62/-63

Fax: (+30-210) 8 01 22 72


www.herrco.gr

German-Greek Chamber of


Mr. Odysseas Athanasiadis

Voulgari 50

Thessaloniki 542 49

Greece

Phone: (+30-23 10) 32 77 33

Fax: (+30-23 10) 32 77 37


www.german-chamber.gr

H U N G A R Y

ÖKO-Pannon p.b.c.

Hungária krt. 179-187

1146 Budapest

Hungary

Phone: (+36-1) 3 83 93 05

Fax: (+36-1) 3 83 93 06


www.okopannon.hu

German-Hungarian Chamber

of Industry and Commerce

Mrs. Erika Szabó

Lövoház u. 30

1024 Budapest

Hungary

Phone: (+36-1) 3 45-76 41

Fax: (+36-1) 3 45-76 55


www.duihk.hu

I R E L A N D

Repak Limited

Red Cow Interchange Estate

1 Ballymount Road

Clondalkin

Dublin 22

Ireland

Phone: (+353-1) 4 67 01 90

Fax: (+353-1) 4 67 01 97


www.repak.ie

L AT V I A

Latvijas Zalais Punkts, JSC

Baznicas Street 20/22

Riga, 1010

Latvia

Phone: (+371) 7 03 98 10

Fax: (+371) 7 03 98 11


www.zalais.lv

Latvian Chamber of


Kr. Valdemara Street 35

Riga, 1010

Latvia

Phone: (+371) 7 22 55 95

Fax: (+371) 7 82 00 92


www.chamber.lv

Ministry of the Enviroment of

the Republic of Latvia

Peldu Street 25

Riga, 1494

Latvia

Phone: (+371) 7 02 64 18

Fax: (+371) 7 82 04 42


www.vidm.gov.lv

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P O L A N D

Rekopol Organizacja Odzysku S. A.

ul. Domaniewska 47

02-672 Warsaw

Poland

Phone: (+48-22) 5 45 42 80-83

Fax: (+48-22) 5 45 42 84


www.rekopol.pl

Polish Ministry of the Environment

ul. Wawelska 52/54

00-922 Warsaw

Poland

Phone: (+48-22) 57 92-900


www.mos.gov.pl

Department of Waste Management

Mr. Marek Sobiecki

Phone: (+48-22) 57 92-796

Fax: (+48-22) 57 92-795

E-mail:

[email protected]

German-Polish Chamber of


Mr. Marcin Kaiser

P.O. Box 62

00-952 Warsaw

Poland

Phone: (+48-22) 5 31 05 14

Fax: (+48-22) 5 31 06 00


www.ihk.pl

64

L I T H U A N I A

PBC Zaliasis taskas

Zalgirio st. 131

08217 Vilnius

Lithuania

Phone: (+370-5) 2 33 11 52, 2 75 59 07

Fax: (+370-5) 2 33 64 35

E-mail: [email protected],

[email protected]

www.zaliasistaskas.lt

www.greendot.lt

Ministry of Environment

of the Repubic of Lithuania

Jaksto 4/9

01105 Vilnius

Lithuania

Phone: (+370-5) 2 66 36 59

Fax: (+370-5) 2 66 36 63


www.am.lt

Lithuanian Confederation of

Industrialists

A. Vienuolio str. 8

01104 Vilnius

Lithuania

Phone: (+370-5) 2 12 52 17

Fax: (+370-5) 2 12 52 09


www.lpk.lt

L U X E M B O U R G

VALORLUX asbl

B.P. 26

3205 Leudelange

Luxembourg

Phone: (+35-2) 37 00 06-1

Fax: (+35-2) 37 11 37


www.valorlux.lu

German-French Chamber

of Commerce and Industry

Mrs. Christine Yolin

18, Rue Balard

75015 Paris

France

Phone: (+33-1) 40 58 35 35

Fax: (+33-1) 45 75 47 39


www.francoallemand.com

M A LTA

GreenPak Ltd.

St. John Street

Fgura PLA 13

Malta

Phone: (+356) 21 80 33 50, 21 80 33 74

Fax: (+356) 21 80 33 63


www.greenpak.com.mt

N O R W A Y

Grønt Punkt Norge AS

Karenslyst Allé 9A

Boks 91 Skøyen

0212 Oslo

Norway

Phone: (+47) 22 12 15 00

Fax: (+47) 22 12 15 19


www.grontpunkt.no

German-Norwegian

Chamber of Commerce

Mrs. Hanna Gretland

Drammensveien 111 B

Postboks 603 Skøyen

0214 Oslo

Norway

Phone: (+47) 22 12 82 16

Fax: (+47) 22 12 82 22


www.handelskammer.no

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65

P O R T U G A L

Sociedade Ponto Verde, S. A.

Edifício Infante D. Henrique,

Rua João Chagas, N° 53 – 1° Dt°

Cruz-Quebrada – Dafundo

1495-764 Dafundo

Portugal

Phone: (+351) 2 10 10 24 00

Fax: (+351) 2 10 10 24 99


www.pontoverde.pt

German-Portuguese Chamber

of Commerce and Industry

Porto office

Mrs. Sónia Santos

Av. Sidónio Pais N° 379

4100-468 Porto

Portugal

Phone: (+351) 2 26 06 15-60

Fax: (+351) 2 26 00 37 89


www.ccila-portugal.com

R O M A N I A

SC Eco-Rom Ambalaje SA

51-55, Avenue 1 Mai

6 District

061629 Bucharest

Romania

PO Box 66-104

Phone: (+40-21) 4 13 91 07

Fax: (+40-21) 4 13 08 57


www.ecoromambalaje.ro

S L O V A K I A

ENVI-PAK, a.s.

Galvaniho 7/B

841 04 Bratislava

Slovakia

Phone: (+421-2) 5 73 85-810

Fax: (+421-2) 5 73 85-850


www.envipak.sk

Ministry of the Environment

of the Slovak Republic

Nám. L. Stúra 1

812 35 Bratislava

Slovakia

Phone: (+421-2) 59 56 11 11

Fax: (+421-2) 59 56 23 58


www.lifeenv.gov.sk

S L O V E N I A

Slopak d.o.o.

Parmova 41

1000 Ljubljana

Slovenia

Phone: (+386-1) 2 80 20 50

Fax: (+386-1) 2 80 20 70

E-mail: [email protected],

[email protected]

www.slopak.si

Delegation of German Industry

and Commerce in Slovenia

Dr. Christian Becker

Tomsiceva 3

1000 Ljubljana

Slovenia

Phone: (+386-1) 2 52 88 50

Fax: (+386-1) 4 26 74 80


www.dihk.si

Ministry of the Environment

and Spatial Planning

of the Republic of Slovenia

Dunajska cesta 48

1000 Ljubljana

Slovenia

Phone: (+386-1) 4 78 74 00

Fax: (+386-1) 4 78 74 22


www.gov.si/mop/en

S PA I N

Ecoembalajes España, S. A.

c/Orense 4-8ª planta

28020 Madrid

Spain

Phone: (+34-91) 5 67 24 03

Fax: (+34-91) 5 98 06 24


www.ecoembes.com

German Chamber of

Commerce for Spain

Mrs. Ute Méndez

Avenida Pio XII, 26-28

28016 Madrid

Spain

Phone: (+34-91) 3 53 09 38

Fax: (+34-91) 3 59 12 13


www.ahk.es

Official Spanish Chamber

of Commerce for Germany

Mrs. Astrid Rechel-Götz

Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 56

60325 Frankfurt am Main

Germany

Phone: (+49-69) 74 34 81-14

Fax: (+49-69) 74 34 81-55


www.spanische-handelskammer.de

C O N TA C T

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66

T U R K E Y

ÇEVKO, Environmental

Protection & Packaging Waste

Recovery & Recycling Trust

Cenap Sehabettin Sok. No: 94

34718 Kosuyolu, Istanbul

Turkey

Phone: (+90-216) 4 28 78 90

Fax: (+90-216) 4 28 78 95


www.cevko.org.tr

Ministry of Environment

and Forestry

Sögütözü Cad, No: 14/E

Ankara

Turkey

Phone: (+90-312) 2 07 50 00

www.cevreorman.gov.tr

S W E D E N

REPA – Reparegistret AB

Box 712

101 33 Stockholm

Sweden

Phone: (+46-8) 56 61 44 00

Fax: (+46-8) 56 61 44 42


www.repa.se

Swedish Trade Council

Mr. Börje Hedman

Box 240

101 24 Stockholm

Sweden

Phone: (+46-8) 58 86 60 00

Fax: (+46-8) 58 86 61 90


www.swedishtrade.se

German-Swedish

Chamber of Commerce

Mr. Norman Karsch,

Mrs. Ingrid Sernert-Fransson

Södra Promenaden 69

211 38 Malmö

Sweden

Phone: (+46-40) 30 49-40/-41

Fax: (+46-40) 30 49-43

E-mail:

[email protected],

[email protected]

www.handelskammer.cci.se/recycling

ˇ


Dear Reader,

The European Community first introduced measures on the

management of packaging waste over 20 years ago, with the adop-

tion of a Directive on containers of liquids for human consump-

tion in 1985. We have come a long way since then. Directive

94/62/EC and its subsequent revisions in 2004 and 2005 have had

a positive impact on the management of Europe’s packaging and

packaging waste, and proved to be a catalyst for responsible en-

vironmental behaviour among Europe’s citizens. For example, sor-

ting packaging waste is now a daily habit for millions of house-

holds, recycling and recovery rates are on the increase and all parts

of the packaging chain – from producer to consumer – acknow-

ledge they have a role to play in preventing packaging waste in the

first place. We must build on the successes to date and ensure that

the management of our packaging waste continues to contribute

to achieving a more sustainable society.

In the majority of Member States, the Packaging Directive

has been implemented through “producer responsibility” systems

set up to assume packaging waste collection and recovery respon-

sibilities on behalf of industry in a cost-effective way. Producer

responsibility is an important environmental policy tool which

has proven successful in a number of other EU Directives, namely

those on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, End-of-Life

Vehicles and Batteries. In the packaging field, the “Green Dot” pro-

ducer responsibility systems, and their umbrella organisation PRO

EUROPE, have made a significant contribution towards the ful-

filment of the revised recovery and recycling targets in Directive

2004/12/EC. Perhaps one of the strengths of the systems is that

they involve all actors in the packaging chain, including packa-

ging manufacturers, fillers, distributors, as well as local authori-

ties and citizens. The systems also collate valuable data on packa-

ging waste generation and waste management, which is helpful

for the Member States in relation to their reporting obligations

and assists policy makers in taking objective decisions. Moreover,

PRO EUROPE and its members have done a great deal in raising

the environmental awareness of our citizens. I am convinced that

environmental education is hugely important when faced with

the challenges of climate change, biodiversity and resource use.

The work undertaken by the PRO EUROPE Youth Eco-Parliament®

is an example of the importance of harnessing young people’s

commitment to the environment.

I therefore welcome the latest edition of Europe Goes Green

Dot. It offers a valuable and in-depth analysis of the producer

responsibility systems – including the national legislation on which

the schemes are based and their future outlook over the coming

years – as well as an overview of PRO EUROPE. I am sure it will

prove to be a useful tool for those interested in packaging waste

management – for industry and political representatives, acade-

mics and citizens alike.

Although we have ten years of European legislation on the

management of packaging waste behind us, I believe it is only right

that we continue to focus on ensuring the full and proper imple-

mentation of this important Directive. It is crucial that all 25

Member States are allowed to achieve the Directive’s new targets

as well as its prevention aims. I therefore look to PRO EUROPE

and its members for their continued support in the realisation of

our ambition that Europe truly becomes a recycling society.

Stavros Dimas

Member of the European Commission

G R E E T I N G

67

C O N TA C T

C A N A D A

Green Dot North America™

c/o CSR, 26 Wellington St., East

Suite 601

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5E 1S2

Phone: (+1-416) 5 94-34 56

Fax: (+1-416) 5 94-34 63


www.greendot.ca

www.csr.org


Valpak Ltd.

Stratford Business Park

Banbury Road

Stratford-upon-Avon

Warwickshire

CV37 7GW

United Kingdom

Phone: (+44-17 89) 20 87 00

Fax: (+44-17 89) 20 87 69


www.valpak.co.uk

www.green-dot.org.uk

DEFRA – Producer Responsibility Unit

Mrs. Sheila McKinley

Producer Responsibility Unit

Department for Environment,

Food & Rural Affairs

Nobel House

17 Smith Square

London

SW1P 3JR

United Kingdom

Phone: (+44-20) 70 82 87 75

Fax: (+44-20) 70 82 87 64


www.defra.gov.uk

German-British Chamber of


Mr. Ian Wivell

Mecklenburg House

16 Buckingham Gate

London SW1E 6LB

United Kingdom

Phone: (+44-20) 79 76 41-50

Fax: (+44-20) 79 76 41-01/02


www.ahk-london.co.uk

IMPRINT

Published by:PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l.Rue Martin V 401200 BrusselsBelgium

Concept and realisation:mcpr – meiner corporate pr,Grafschaft,Germany

Text editing:Blue Satellite, Düsseldorf,Germany

Layout:Konzeption + Design, Cologne,Germany

Lithography:Peters Produktion GmbH,Viersen,Germany

Printed by:Schotte GmbH & Co. KG,Krefeld,Germany

Illustrative and photographiccredits:

PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l., Brussels

Responsible for photographs:The Green Dot organisationsof the different countries(listed on pages 62-67)

Printed on recycled paperStatus: October 2006

EDITORIAL INFORMATION

Eko-Ozra d.o.o. (Croatia) introduced the

Green Dot as financing symbol in July 2006,

making it the 25th Green Dot system.

Since Eko-Ozra is still being set up, it is not

described in this edition.

Eko-Ozra d.o.o.

Ulica Kneza Ljudevita Posavskog 48/III

10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Phone: (+385-1) 46 47-184

Fax: (+385-1) 46 47-182


www.eko-ozra.hr


2006/2007

PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l.Rue Martin V 401200 Brussels, Belgium

Phone: + 32 (2) 2 30 00 67Fax: + 32 (2) 7 34 62 [email protected]



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