Port of Rotterdam stops shipments of contaminated recyclables from Ireland

The Irish Times has reported that 160 containers of recyclables collected and processed in Ireland that were being shipped to China were stopped at the Port of Rotterdam by the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) because the shipments contained high levels of nonrecyclables.

A statement from Ireland’s National Transfrontier Shipment Office (NTFSO) notes that the ILT consented to the reprocessing of 53 of the detained containers at a facility in the Netherlands. The rest of the detained containers were returned to Ireland in early 2017.

When the returned containers originally were exported from Ireland, they were declared as containing waste paper and cardboard. The material in the returned containers consisted of mixed paper, cardboard, plastic and other recoverable materials. Under EU legislation, this mix is required to follow a different export procedure.

Upon their return to waste facilities in Ireland, the containers were opened and their contents examined by enforcement officers from the NTFSO. The investigation into this matter is ongoing, and the Ireland Environmental Protection Agency is working with its Dutch colleagues and other relevant stakeholders to resolve the issue.

The shipments were returned to Irish waste and recycling industries at a cost of €500,000 ($530,000).

In a follow up note, the Dublin City Council, which has been designated as the National Competent Authority for the export, import and transit of waste shipments, notes that the repatriating of the containers is under investigation by the NTFSO, which has held discussions with the industry and with their Dutch counterparts. These engagements will continue.

The recent issues with the transit of some containers through Rotterdam seem to be because of the presence of a percentage of nonpaper materials in the containers. However, the council says, the low percentage contamination is not a problem for paper mills as they separate these materials when making pulp and recover them from the process.

The Dublin City Council adds that the commingled recycling bin can be contaminated with non-recyclable items due to factors such as the lack of awareness of what can or cannot be recycled on behalf of the household customer.

To improve awareness rates the department has allocated €1.6 million ($1.7 million) in 2017 toward a national waste campaign that will be developed and rolled out by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices. The campaign will focus on increasing the prevention and segregation of waste. The campaign will support householders to increase their recycling rates and assist them in avoiding the contamination of recyclate and organic waste.