De North Sea Resources Roundabout (NSRR) is een samenwerkingsverband tussen de overheden van Vlaanderen, Nederland en het Verenigd Koninkrijk om aan de hand van een praktijkervaring te zien wat de knelpunten zijn bij grensoverschrijdend verkeer van afval tot grondstof. Deze specifieke casus gaat over de inzameling van hard PVC afval in Vlaanderen, de verwerking tot grondstof in Nederland, en het toepassen in nieuwe, 3-laags buizen in het Verenigd Koninkrijk. De ervaringen zullen zowel in de deelnemende landen worden gebruikt, als ook worden ingebracht op Europees niveau.
PVSea
A group within the North Sea Resources Roundabout is working on developing safe solutions for the recycling of rigid PVC with legacy substances as a basis for crossborder circular economy trade opportunities. Following last issue’s article introducing thr group and its work, Freek van Eijk, showcases its work in the area of rigid PVC
The Netherlands has taken the initiative for an international public private collaboration: The North Sea Resources Roundabout (NSRR)1, which my colleague Robine van Dooren introduced in October’s CIWM Journal. It is a novel approach that aims to align regulatory interpretation and to create a safer, larger cross-border recycling market. This initiative was created, in early 2016, by six ministers from four North Sea territories: the UK, France, The Netherlands and Flanders.
Policymakers, the Inspectorate and industry representatives are now working together, around specific cases, to identify and eliminate barriers related to cross-border trade, transportation and the use of secondary resources. One of four of these ongoing cases concerns rigid PVC waste, collected by Renewi in Flanders, recycled to industry standards by Van Werven in the Netherlands, and used by Wavin as the inner layer of threelayer pipes in the UK. The presence of a small percentage of legacy substances – the stabilisers cadmium and lead – now labelled as substances of very high concern (SVHC) in the PVC waste pose regulatory challenges that risk an end to the recycling practice.
We see the NSRR’s case as a “pressure cooker for analysis and (possibly for) solutions”. Industry and governments are investigating whether there is a sensible, risk-based approach that provides continuity for PVC recycling and also prevents less favourable disposal routes. The lessons learned might even be applied to similar flows with legacy substances. This article gives an overview of the challenges identified and the possible solutions that are being discussed.
Full document available in the attachments below
Het volledige bericht is beschikbaar in de bijlage hieronder.
We see the NSRR's case as a "pressure cooker for analysis and (possibly for) solutions"