Manufacturers Sign Memorandum on Packaging and Waste Disposal

The Union of Forest Industrialists and Exporters of Russia, RAO Bumprom, the Union of Plastics Processors, the Association "StekloSouz", the Russian Union of Chemists and the Association of Textile Workers of Russia signed a memorandum on inter-industry cooperation in implementing the institute of extended responsibility of producers of goods and packaging (ERP) and increasing the efficiency of interaction with government agencies.

The document unites the positions of industries that are obliged to dispose of goods and packaging after losing their consumer properties. The parties emphasize the importance of taking into account industry specifics when regulating waste disposal, taking into account differences in technological processes and requirements for secondary raw materials.

In particular, the participants in the memorandum consider it necessary to clearly define the subject of ERP for polymer packaging, since in world practice the object of regulation is finished packaging, and not its materials. This simplifies the administration of environmental payments. It is also proposed to change the methodology for calculating the environmental fee in order to avoid its use to regulate the packaging market. As for glass containers, the importance of ensuring the cleanliness of waste collection is emphasized to prevent hazardous impurities from entering food packaging.

The document also states the need to distinguish between the processes of paper production from waste paper and waste recycling, as well as to clarify the status and types of waste paper in the legislation regulating ROP. This requirement is due to the fact that in the pulp and paper industry, there is a predominance of capacities for the production of paper from waste paper over production from primary raw materials. At the same time, current standards allow recyclers of waste from the use of goods not to recycle household waste, despite the high percentage of waste paper in the composition of MSW (municipal solid waste).

The participants in the memorandum emphasize that the regulation of ROP should concern only primary and consumer packaging, as specified in the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union. That is, the subjects of ROP should be manufacturers of primary packaging or goods, if the packaging is created during packaging. As the signatories note, the legislation on ROP should be integrated into existing business practices without increasing the cost of goods.

The authors of the document also note that demand for packaging should be based on the functionality of materials, and not on artificially increasing prices. In their opinion, improper collection of packaging can lead to the formation of mixed waste, so it is important to clearly define responsibility for the disposal of packaging for effective waste management.

Source: www.rbc.ru