UK Scrap Recyclers Confronted with Restrictions

The UK's largest shredder operator, European Metal Recycling, announced that it is seriously considering not taking any form of end of life vehicles. But, the UK's other major shredder operator, Sims Recycling, is still deciding whether or not to implement a ban, subject to talks with the Environment Agency.

As a result of an EMR ban, 4,000 vehicles a day would have to be stockpiled and crisis talks are to get underway tomorrow between the parties concerned.

The EMR decision to stop taking vehicles would result from the end of co-disposal which means that from July 16 hazardous waste can only sent to hazardous waste landfills. As an extension of this, landfill operators are not allowed to accept materials into non-hazardous cells unless they have been tested under proper procedures to certify that they are not hazardous.

Tests are difficult to carry out on shredder residue because of the variety of components and are incomplete. And, there are some reports that tests of shredder residue even from depolluted vehicles has found the material to have some hazardous components.

Accordingly most landfill operators are expected to ban the material which can contain oily residues which are hazardous.

The metals recycling sector through its trade association the British Metals Recycling Association hopes to hear July 16 whether or not the Environment Agency will make any concessions over shredder residue.

EMR has emerged as the first company to announce the idea of a ban and because of its size thousands of vehicles could end up being stockpiled or abandoned every day if its ban remains in place.

The Environment Agency told letsrecycle.com that the ban would be "self-imposed" by EMR and that shredders had to demonstrate whether the automotive shredder residue was not hazardous. A spokeswoman added: "We are looking to resolve the issue with the shredders and the landfill industry as quickly as possible. There is guidance available from the agency and we have offered help in the past."

Neil Marshall, director general of the BMRA, said: that landfill operators were confused about status of the residue. "We only have one test for the residue and that's designed to test soil samples. The companies currently use the material as landfill top cover. If we lose out the landfills lose out."

Marshall added: "By Monday the entire metals recycling market could have closed down. We process 45,000 cars a week and we cannot store many because of their size."

The full text of the EMR announcement, which will come into play if no satisfactory agreement is reached with the Environment Agency tomorrow, is as follows:

"Unfortunately EMR will have to stop receiving End of Life Vehicles at all its sites with effect from close of business 16/07/04. This is due to the fact that the Landfill Directive requires under its Duty of Care section that all shredder residue loads require notification that it is non-hazardous. In other words every single load of Fragmentiser Residue could require testing and if proved hazardous could cost millions of pounds to rectify. The events leading to this are:

Sites licensed to accept Hazardous Waste have capacity of 350,000 metric tons per annum.

Our industry currently landfills approx 850,000 metric tons per annum.

BMRA have been working with the Environment Agency and Defra for some months and were assured that the industry could continue to landfill our shredder residue as non-hazardous. The landfill operators now require positive indication that fragmentizer residue is non-hazardous. This is impossible due to inappropriate testing/sampling regimes for shredder residue.

Therefore EMR will not be able to accept any form of End of Life Vehicles (complete/whole/unpolluted/de-polluted/pressed/sheared/flattened/whatevercars/vehicles). With effect from close of business July 16 2004.

We will also not be operating our shredders as we do not have safe disposal routes for our shredder residue.

We will review on a daily basis and we will keep all our customers and suppliers advised as to whether or not we are able to re-commence taking ELVs."

The case surrounds the fact that the UK Environmental agency will be having officers conducting checks at sites which were formerly allowed to take hazardous waste across the region, as legislative changes implemented by the directive place an immediate ban on the co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste in the same landfill cell.

The changes will affect 21 landfill sites in the North West, of which two will be able to accept hazardous waste after July 16.

In addition, inspectors will be on site to ensure that companies whose loads may be rejected have plans to properly dispose of the waste at sites authorised to take hazardous waste.

Four major waste types account for over half of all hazardous waste: construction, demolition and asbestos waste; oil and oil-water mixtures; organic chemical process waste; and inorganic process waste. In addition many everyday items such as fluorescent tubes, batteries, and televisions are also classed as hazardous waste. Letsrecycle.com