Allard Verburg

‘Everyone knows that recycling preserves raw materials and contributes to a better environment. At a global level, the realization is beginning to dawn that material shortages could well be a big problem in the future. The rapid growth of rising economies such as India and China is increasing the demand for raw materials. Although recycled materials play a significant role here, recycling is a complex process.’

Uneven playing field
Verburg: ‘Legislation provides both threats and opportunities. Brussels sets the policy by providing guidelines for waste matter. These guidelines are turned into national legislation, which can differ between Member States. There is a problem lurking here. A ban on dumping or an increase in the tax on dumping a waste material can result in the industry setting up recycling initiatives. The speed and the way in which that happens create an unlevel playing field between the Member States – and that leads to uncertainty among investors. In addition, export limitations, recycling classification and REACH also exert an influence.’

Formidable competition
Recycling companies are continuously dealing with technological developments aimed at further improving the separation of materials. The costs are a very important factor in this. For example, the industry may opt for cheap separation by hand in China, which leads to a decrease in the availability of waste matter in Europe. Overcapacity at the incinerators can also be a threat to the recycling of raw materials. Separation by hand and incineration present recycling companies with formidable competition.
Furthermore, new materials come onto the market all the time and trends develop in the field of sustainability. 'Carbon footprints’ are a good example; these are increasingly being used to compare recycling routes. In short, there are many factors that make recycling much more complex than people think.

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