Why Quality Matters
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Transcript of Why Quality Matters
Why Quality Matters
Linda CrichtonHead of Collections & Quality
What do we mean by quality? Quality of materials
– consistently delivering materials to the market place that are effectively separated to meet customer requirements and comply with legal obligations under European directives or with specific regulations in the Nations
Quality of service – consistently delivering a good service that takes
account of the needs of residents (and businesses) and where they live
Importance of quality - regulations Article 11 of the rWFD
Member States shall take measures to promote high quality recycling and, to this end, shall set up separate collections of waste where technically, environmentally and economically practicable and appropriate to meet the necessary quality standards for the relevant recycling sectors.
SG Policy Statement – Zero Waste Regulations“We intend to stipulate in the regulations that co-mingling of dry recyclables will only be permitted where the hierarchy is not undermined…and the outputs from the MRF are of comparable quality to that collected separately at the kerbside.”
Importance of quality - exports
China single largest destination for UK exports of recovered plastics and paper.
UK materials account for 11% of the Chinese imports of recovered paper and 9% for recovered plastics.
Quality also .. …allows the best environmental option to be
realised– reuse, closed loop recycling, recovery of energy
-2000 -1500 -1000 -500 0 500 1000 1500
Landfill
EfW
Recycling China
Recycling UK
kg CO2 eq
Plastic bottle recycling & kg CO2e
Quality is a ‘supply chain’ issue
Role of householders Design & delivery of collection system Capacity & management of MRFs/
treatment plants Reprocessors / end markets
All in the chain need to take responsibility
Service Commitments Customer experience is
central to the design and delivery of services
Local accountability Opportunity to improve
communication with service users and increase satisfaction
New Business Recycling & Waste Services Commitment
MRFs
MRF Code of Practice Promote quality in the way recyclable materials are
sorted through an industry-led Code of Practice Part of Responsibility Deal between Defra & Waste
and Resource Management Sector Measurement protocols for input and output
quality Transparency of results Options for implementing the CoP being
considered including making it mandatory
MRF Quality thresholds MRF material testing – establishing baseline for
Scotland of contamination/non target material levels
Undertaking quality thresholds scoping study for SG; WG also participating – SG to include provisions in the ZW Regs to enable Scottish
Ministers to issue quality standards for recycling Looking into the effects of compaction during
collect on MRF ability to sort Convened an industry group looking at plastic bale
quality
Plastic Packaging
Quality ProtocolsDefine ‘end of waste’
criteria No longer regulated as waste Reduces cost of producing
recycled materials Expands market for recycled
materials Materials deregulated to
date Compost, Digestate,
Aggregates Flat Glass, Non-Packaging
Plastics Tyre derived Rubber Used Cooking Oil
Specifications (PAS) Confidence in a product for the right use Clarity for regulators and regulated Waste status can be a barrier Specifiers: guarantee that process & outputs
conform to a baseline quality level E.g. PAS100 (composted materials) and PAS110
(AD outputs)
In summary…There are risks to the supply chain if quality not delivered… Political – high profile service Motivational - householders loose confidence Operational – reduced efficiency/ increased cost Environmental – best outcomes not delivered End Markets - product quality reducedThere are different approaches to ensuring quality is delivered
Thank you
Email: [email protected]
Further info on: MRFs: www.wrap.org.uk/mrfs Quality compost & digestate:
www.wrap.org.uk
How well do MRFs perform? In the top 25% of UK MRFs
– 6% of their input is non-recyclable material– 28% of their residue stream could have been recovered
In the bottom 25% of UK MRFs – 17% of their input is non-recyclable material– 80% of their residue stream could have been recovered
Contamination in recovered paper (News and PAMS)– 75% of UK MRFs produce paper with >4.6%
contamination– UK newsprint mills expect <2% contamination
Average amount disposed of by UK MRFs is about 13% of input