Spanish order establishes end-of-waste condition for recovered paper

Spain’s Ministry of Ecological Transition has published a ministerial order that establishes the criteria to determine when recovered paper for use in the manufacture of recycled paper is no longer considered waste. 

According to a news release from the Spanish Association of Pulp and Paper Manufacturers (ASPAPEL), Madrid, the association is encouraged by the new regulation. 

“From ASPAPEL, we welcome this new legal figure, in the belief that it is a great opportunity for the entire chain of paper and cardboard recycling as a whole, as it will help guarantee the quality of the material, reduce the bureaucratic burden and eliminate barriers to the free movement of this raw material,” says David Barrio, director of recycling and logistics at ASPAPEL.

Andrea Orallo, director of the Spanish Forum of Paper for Recycling that represents the paper and board recovery sector in ASPAPEL, adds that she believes it’s essential that the regulation includes the need to maintain European sector-wide standards at all times during the process of declassifying waste, specifically EN 643, the European List of Standard Grades of Paper and Board for Recycling, and EN 17085, Sampling Procedures for Paper and Board for Recycling. She says compliance with European standards involves implementing and verifying a quality management system, issuing a statement of compliance for each shipment, performing quality controls and providing information on the material that is no longer waste.

According to ASPAPEL, the application of the new “waste-to-product” model is voluntary for each shipment, but “it is expected that its application will be generalized by mutual agreement between manufacturers and reclaimers,” Orallo says. “This new legal figure will help to professionalize and modernize the sector, improve the recycling circuit for paper and cardboard in Spain and promote the circular economy model.”

According to a news release from ASPAPEL, the regulation is only applicable in Spain, but it expects it will pave the way for similar regulations in other European countries in the future.