BIR Reminds Exporters of New Legislation

A notice from the Bureau of International Recycling is reminding exporters of recyclables of the new EU Waste Shipment Regulations. The policy, slated to go into effect July 23, is replacing an older scrap and waste export regulation.

According to the BIR, the new Waste Shipment Regulation uses fewer but different lists of wastes, different forms and has simplified rules.

The BIR, EFR, EUROMETREC and ERPA have been actively involved in promoting simpler rules and harmonization between the OECD and EU lists and the UN Basel Convention lists of wastes. Along with simplification also come toughening of the rules and a stronger will from a few Member States to better enforce the new Regulation.

One of the concerns of the new regulation is the possibility of it being influenced b by both nationalist and protectionist forces.

The nationalist distortions will start with a wide variation in implementation from July 12, however companies arranging shipments cannot be complacent as their shipments may transit Member State at each extreme, from those that haven't implemented anything to those Member States that desire to fully implement this Regulation as intended.

The text of the Regulation may be downloaded from the website http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/shipments/legis.htm