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Republic of Slovenia – Ministry for Environment and Spatial Planning

Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia

PACKAGING WASTE PACKAGING WASTE MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM IN SLOVENIASYSTEM IN SLOVENIA

Eva Lipovž-Ančik, M.Sc.Environmental Agency of Republic of Slovenia

Waste Management Section

22. July 2009, Sofia (BG)TAIEX – Infra 32644

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Packaging Waste Management System in Slovenia

Introduction

Strategy of Waste Management in European Union and Slovenia

Packaging Waste Management System in Slovenia

Problems from the Field

Conclusions

Source: www.ijs.si

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INTRODUCTION

Source: sl.wikipedia.org

SLOVENIA BULGARIA

Republic Organization Republic

Ljubljana Capital City Sofia

01.05.2004 Joining EU 01.01.2007

20.273 sq.km Area 110.910 sq.km

1.964.036 (2002)Population

7.932.984 (2001)

99 people/ sq.km 69 people/ sq.km

7 (non-formal) Regions 28

210 Municipalities 260

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EU and SLO – Strategy of Waste Management

Waste prevention and recycling:

Waste – a negative issue or an opportunity? Key objective = waste prevention!

if not possible – use it as a resource Material flow – closing the loop

Waste hierarchy: waste minimization recovery processes disposal processes

Source: www.fermanagh.gov.uk

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PACKAGING WASTE: Important Waste Stream

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Packaging Waste Management Systems

Producer-responsibility management scheme

Producer’s responsibility

Establishment of a specific company (collection, treatment – financed by the producers)

Easier to achieve recycling/prevention targets

Responsibilities of authorities: establishment of regulatory framework for collection & treatment and for control

Negative side = Parallel collection schemes

Environmental taxes and fees

Effective and economic instruments – high costs for disposing waste

Supplement the legislative framework set at national level

If too high => possible illegal and uncontrolled waste disposal

Before their introduction => cost-benefit analysis based on environmental and economical terms should be done

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NATIONAL LEGISLATION ON PACKAGING AND PACKAGING WASTE

The Rules on Handling Packaging and Packaging Waste (OG RS 104/00) target recovery shares (end of 2007):

min. 50% of total recovery

min. 25% of total recycling (15% for each packaging material)

The Operational Programme for the Management of Packaging and Packaging Waste for 2002-2007 Period (OG RS 29/02) a step-by-step plan for achieving recovery targets

The Decree on Environmental Tax on the Generation of Packaging Waste (OG RS 32/06, 65/06 and 78/08)

The Decree on the Management of Packaging and Packaging Waste (OG RS 84/06, 106/06 and 110/07)

target recovery shares (end of 2012):min. 60 % of total recovery min. 55 % and max 80% of total recycling

paper&cardboard – 60%, plastic – 22,5%, wood – 15%,

metal – 50%, glass – 60%

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SLOVENIA: PRODUCER-RESPONSIBILITY PACKAGING WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Change in thinking!

Environmental tax for packaging/packed goods placed on Slovenian market (CORS)

Options: non-municipal PW => joining the trade company or developing an individual system (license form EARS!) municipal PW => joining the trade company < 15.000 kg of total PW => nothing (< 5.000 kg) or annual statement about quantity of all PW produced

Annual reporting on quantities to EARS trade company – for all its members individual system – by itself

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Trade Company for Managing Packaging Waste (system/scheme for managing PW)

Obligations: collecting, storing, sorting, recovery/disposal achieving target shares of recovery/recycling for total PW and for each packaging material annual reporting to EARS for each member

Costs: depending on packaging material and type of packaging 30-75 EUR/ton ?!

Current Trade Companies:

Ekodin

Surovina

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Individual System for Managing Packaging Waste

Non-municipal packaging waste

License from EARS (valid for 5 years)

Obligations: meeting target shares of recovery by themselves or by handing PW over to the recyclers annual reporting to EARS

Main problem: wooden packaging (pallets) – ensuring 15% recycling

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Municipal Packaging Waste

municipal packaging waste = PW from households + similar PW (restaurants, schools, …)

Public Waste Services: organized and supervised by municipalities (differences!)

separately collected fractions of PW must be handed over to trade companies

shares of quantities handed over to trade companies defined by the Environmental Ministry for each trade company

annual reporting to EARS

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Quantities of Packaging Waste Produced (t)(Source: http://kazalci.arso.gov.si )

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Pap&Cardb 45.891 57.575 52.120 52.202 56.030 70.416

Plastic 29.883 31.463 32.598 32.345 33.940 47.348

Wood 36.510 44.972 34.393 28.520 31.590 36.182

Metal 13.329 13.769 14.506 13.798 13.120 18.077

Glass 24.118 21.842 22.823 26.228 25.650 31.259

Other 7.749 7.926 7.950 8.414 8.300 899

Together157.48

0177.54

7164.39

0161.50

7168.63

0204.18

2

Slovenian average of produced packaging waste ~ 100 kg/citizen

(EU average ~ 172 kg/citizen)

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Quantities of Recovered Packaging Waste (t)(Source: http://kazalci.arso.gov.si )

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Total recovery

12.252

21.396

21.445

69.824

79.678

94.692

Share of recovery

8 % 12 % 13 % 43 % 47 % 47 %

Target share 2007

min. 50 %

Target share 2012

min. 60 %

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Problems from the Field

Classification of pack. waste (composite packaging, hazardous PW)

Responsibility of final user (!) to empty PW properly (hazardous PW)

Reporting not necessary if <15.000 kgs and/or a member of a trade company

Responsibility of producers of packaging/ pack. waste for all types of PW (tertiary or transport packaging!)

Differences among trade companies (prices, flexibility)

More than one trade company – how to define shares of municipal PW

Achieving recycling targets as individual system (wooden PW - R1 is not recycling)

Environmental tax – grave-side lights

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Latest Problems from the Field…

collapse of waste-market: trade companies – obliged or not to collect municipal PW from public waste services (at their side)?! extra-charging by trade companies for transport of PW from final users to collecting centers (should be in-calculated into general costs for joining a system) will collapse also the system of PWM schemes?!

pilot-project with municipal PW: yellow bags plastics, metals, tetra-packs regular collection (1x/week) by local public waste service – no extra costs! ? for urban areas (more appropriate for individual houses - control)

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CONCLUSIONS

Slovenia has a producer-responsibility packaging waste management system since 2002, and it was estimated to become fully active in ten years.

The target recovery shares of total packaging waste from Slovenian and EU packaging waste legislation were not yet met in any one year but are growing.

To reach better shares of recovery and handling packaging waste in general, more intense and constant involvement of the public is needed what should be achieved through different projects of education on this topic.

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eva.lipovz-ancik@gov.si

Home-page of EARS:http://www.arso.gov.si/

Waste Management:http://www.arso.gov.si/varstvo%20okolja/odpadki/