Mixed waste a clue for ROP? Introducing the „black bag” analysis report”

Nearly half of all municipal waste disposed of in the „black bag” should not end up in it at all, according to an analysis we conducted in cooperation with the Częstochowa University of Technology as part of the UNEP/GRID-Warsaw Climate Leadership programme. The study covered mixed municipal waste from various Polish installations. The aim was to qualitatively analyse the residual fraction and, based on this, identify product groups that could be included in the ROP system.

Field surveys at MBP facilities best source of waste stream data

Extended producer responsibility and how to implement it in Polish conditions are currently among the most popular topics of discussion in the environmental industry. While producer representatives and recycling and waste management experts debated the most favourable shape of the ROP system in Poland, we we rolled up our sleeves and examined the direction in which the national ROP model could develop.

The latest report prepared by the scientific community in cooperation with Interzero provides only hard data - not from declarations or anonymous surveys, but... from real bags of waste collected from residents. Thorough manual analysis of the so-called „black bag”, i.e. mixed municipal waste, The survey allowed us to check what actually ends up in the residual fraction. We conducted it on samples of waste from urban and urban-rural areas, delivered to five installations during the spring and summer:

• Częstochowa Municipal Corporation Ltd. (CzPK),
• Orli Staw Municipal Waste Disposal Plant,
• Municipal Utilities Company in Katowice,
• Przedsiębiorstwo Gospodarki Komunalnej Sp. z o.o. in Radomsko,
• MASTER - Waste and Energy Sp. z o.o. in Tychy.

At each installation, we conducted the survey twice, at different times of waste import. Taken from the plate of the sorting plant waste samples were manually sorted, separated into material fractions and then weighed. Each time, the research team paid particular attention to items of a specific nature, regardless of whether their presence in the „black bag” was in accordance with the principles of selective waste collection (JSSO).

Expectations versus reality - what are we really throwing into the black bag?

The „black bag” analysis report reveals what many people would rather not admit - the quality of separate municipal waste collection still leaves much to be desired. After adding up the data collected in the course of the survey, it turned out that as much as 42% by weight of mixed waste are the raw material fractions, of which:

• plastics - 20%,
• paper - 6%,
• bio-waste - 5%,
• glass - 4%,
• aluminium - 2%.

Due to the large amount of unidentified waste contaminated with wet fraction, the actual share of plastics in the mixed waste stream may be even higher.

The remainder of the sample analysed was:

• Wet fraction (biowaste and unidentified mixed waste) - 46%,
• hygiene waste (e.g. nappies) - 5%,
• Textiles - 5%,
• building and renovation materials - 4%,
• wood - 1%,
• highlighted items - 2%,
• packaged food scraps, medical waste, toys, hairdressing mix - less than 1% for each fraction.

The exact material composition of each sample tested can be found in the test report.

Effective ROP needed now

On the basis of an analysis of the data obtained, together with experts from the Częstochowa University of Technology and UNEP/GRID-Warsaw, we have identified several product categories which should be covered by the extended producer liability scheme in Poland:

• disposable hygiene products (nappies, sanitary towels, tampons, sanitary pads and other disposable beauty/spa products) as a group of waste with low recycling potential and high management costs,
• children's toys and accessories (including sports, beach and vehicle accessories) as products for which no end-of-life management is foreseen,
• disposable medical products (gloves, masks, syringes, needles, other medical devices),
• products generating dust and ash (e.g. solid fuels),
• clothing and textiles.

In developing the recommendations, we drew on the experience of other EU countries that have long had extensive ROP systems in place. Of particular importance was the analysis of the French EPR system including, among others, clothing and home textiles, toys, sports and leisure items and disposable hygiene products.

The study of the morphology of „black bag” waste also provided an opportunity to verify the effectiveness of the Polish ROP system, in which producers failing to achieve minimum recycling or recovery levels are obliged to pay a product fee. After analysing the data, we formulated a list of products for which it would be advisable to revise the regulations and fee rates. It featured:

• used tyres,
• small-scale electro-waste (mainly electronic toys, light bulbs and small electrical and electronic equipment),
• packaging for oils, paints and chemicals,
• multi-material packaging and difficult to recycle (e.g. multilayer films, sachets).

According to Przemysław Kuna, Team Leader in the Waste Management Competence Center Interzero team, who took part in the fieldwork:

In the course of the research work and the analysis of the results of the report, it became evident that for the individual fractions, the implementation or strengthening of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding should be considered accordingly. Mixed waste is a source of materials that can still be recycled and used, the ROP needs to support these activities on many levels, not only financial and organisational, but also educational and communication.

Orientations for further regulatory and operational activities

The results of the survey indicate that the scale of the problem requires action beyond separate collection alone waste. Due to the high share of plastics (including packaging) in the mixed waste stream, we recommend that the planned ROP system for packaging should include funding for the separate collection and the cleaning of this fraction. A necessary element of such a ROP should be ecomodulation of charges rewarding packaging that is easy to empty and clearly labelled.

It is also necessary to development and implementation of a strategy to reduce the proportion of „wet fraction” in the municipal waste stream. The strategy would include both communication and education aspects, as well as presupposing a review of the scope and effectiveness of existing measures under the anti-waste legislation.

Parallel to system changes, care should be taken to educate the public on the principles of sorting all fractions of municipal waste. This is because the report has brought to light a number of undesirable practices that lead to losses of raw materials and increase waste management costs. The samples analysed revealed, among other things:

• large quantities of green waste,
• food packed in plastic bags,
• out-of-date packaged food,
• products packed repeatedly in thin plastic bags,
• construction waste, medical waste, hazardous waste (including packaging of hazardous substances) and textiles.

It is therefore necessary to continue carrying out environmental education activitiesof which raising awareness on proper waste management and information on the availability of alternative reusable products.

The observations, recommendations and conclusions contained in the report will form the basis for further educational, regulatory and strategic activities by Interzero and UNEP/GRID-Warsaw.