ERPC Reports Increase in European Paper Recycling

The European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) has announced that the paper and board recycling rate in Europe reached 64.5 percent in 2007, which confirms that the industry is on track to meet its voluntary target of 66 percent by 2010.

The total amount of paper collected and sent to be recycled in paper mills was 60.1 million metric tons, an increase of 7.6 million metric tons or 14.5 percent since 2004, the base year for the target, which was set in 2006 in the European Declaration on Paper Recycling.

To reach the target, the Declaration focuses on complementary actions by all sectors involved and gives priority to:

• Prevention of waste: In 2007, based on the advocacy of ERPC members, separate collection was introduced in the EU Waste Directive and will be an obligation for all member states by 2015.
• Improving the recyclability of paper and board products: The main focus in 2007 was around inks and adhesive applications and a scheme to assess deinkability based on harmonized test methods was adopted.
• Improving the quality of recovered paper available for recycling: A system for tracing recovered paper up and down the value chain was designed—the Recovered Paper Identification System. The goal of this system is to improve recovered paper traceability and to secure safe paper production processes and products.