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LIFE ENVIRONMENT | LIFE and the circular economy Waste electrical and electronic equipment The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive (2012/19/EU), and other EU legislation, encourages the recycling of electronic waste through mandatory targets. Better product design is essential to improve the economic viability of the recycling process for WEEE (see production chapter pp. 16-25). Other barriers to overcome include insufficient collection of WEEE, insufficient information exchange between manufacturers and recyclers of electrical and electronic products, and a lack of data for economic operators on the potential for recycled critical raw materials. LIFE projects have addressed the recycling of WEEE through different approaches, including information campaigns, the promotion of take-back schemes and public participation in WEEE recovery, recommendations for manufacturers and recyclers, the development of innovative techniques for the recovery of critical materials, and the creation of new economically-viable markets for recovered materials. Critical raw materials (CRMs) are commonly used in small amounts in electronic devices but very little is recovered. The CRMRecovery project (LIFE14 ENV/UK/000344) aims to demonstrate viable approaches to increase the recovery of target CRMs found in WEEE by 5% by 2020, and by 20% by 2030 (for further details, see the priority sectors chapter - pp.77-92). To increase WEEE recycling rates in Slovenia, a LIFE project focused on raising the awareness of young people with an innovative travelling exhibition. The Slovenian WEEE campaign (LIFE10 INF/ Sl/000139) visited over 200 schools with the ‘E- Transformer’, a lorry converted into an education centre filled with multimedia and other exhibits. The idea was that educating children would have a multiplier effect, as they act as ambassadors. The campaign also reached 89 of Slovenia’s 200 municipalities, through open days and other events. The project’s influence meant that more than 540 tonnes of electronic waste was collected. The E-Transformer is still on the road, and the project’s approach has been transferred to neighbouring countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Romania). Using grain husks to add value to packaging The RenewPACK project (LIFE11 ENV/SE/000842) is demonstrating the application of a new biodegradable material in food packaging for the first time. Xylophane, the project’s coordinating beneficiary, makes the material under the brand-name Skalax®, using renewable resources. A thin layer of Skalax inside multilayer packaging (e.g. sprayed or coated inside foil or paper) has been shown to form an effective barrier against oxygen, grease, aromas and mineral oil, thus extending the shelf-life of foodstuffs. Photo: Xylophane AB “Skalax is based on polysaccharides from the plant kingdom plus renewable and biodegradable additives,” says Lisa Bindgård of Xylophane. “The natural polysaccharide xylan, one of the raw materials, can be derived from grain husks. This is today a low value by-product, which is incinerated or used as filler in animal feed.” The project is demonstrating an innovative process for producing xylan from grain husks, which will provide a highvalue alternative use for this underexploited resource and enable agricultural communities to diversify their income streams. The new packaging is made to be fully biodegradable, by combining Skalax with biodegradable plastics, paper or board. It can substitute for non-renewable barrier materials, such as the synthetic plastic EVOH and aluminium foil. “Skalax provides a sustainable alternative to oil- and metal-based barrier materials,” explains Ms Bindgård. “This offers packaging solutions to food producers and consumers that can easily be taken care of in national recycling systems.” Paper and board mills can add gas-barrier properties to packaging during the production process, potentially leading to “new markets for paper products and higher profitability,” says Ms Bindgård. Typical end uses would be for oxygen-sensitive food products, such as snacks, dehydrated sauces and soups, as well as spices. 56
LIFE ENVIRONMENT | LIFE and the circular economy In Portugal, ELECTROVALUE (LIFE07 ENV/P/ 000639) demonstrated improvements in the recovery, reuse and recycling of WEEE, especially printed circuit boards (PCBs). The project set-up a pilot-scale disassembly centre to build and assess refurbished PCBs at the facilities of associated beneficiary INTERECYCLING in Santiago de Besteiros (Portugal). Of the 27 PCB components analysed, eight showed favourable cost reductions compared to new components. The reuse and resale of these components represents a business strategy with a significant potential for success, with SMEs being the target market. Photo: LIFE14 ENV/UK/000344 However, labour costs for de-soldering were found to be decisive, especially when the cost of new components is still very cheap. The project’s LCA analysis showed that the reuse of electronic components decreases environmental impacts between 12% and 36%, particularly through reduced landfilling, and the reduced need for precious metals and rare earth elements that are associated with environmentally-damaging mining operations in non-EU countries. LIFE RE-WEEE (LIFE14 ENV/GR/000858) is focusing on recovering elements from WEEE and establishing reuse centres. The project is drawing up guidelines and recommendations to influence policy in Greece at all levels (retail management, local authorities, national and EU), alongside the use of best available techniques to develop technical requirements and specifications for the entire ‘preparation for reuse’ cycle. Electronic products contain valuable critical raw materials “The development of the requirements includes the evaluation of existing and developed standards in different European countries, and the composition of a set of technical requirements that could be implemented for the entire WEEE management chain in Greece,” says project manager Haris Angelakopoulos. “Following the results assessment, a proposal document will be submitted to the competent authority, the Ministry of Environment and Energy, to be adopted into the legislation framework, and the developed technical requirements will be made available to other EU countries.” End-of-life vehicles Every year, end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) generate between 7 and 8 million tonnes of waste in the EU. Waste management The mobile E-transformer - an education centre - has visited many schools in Slovenia Photo: LIFE10 INF/SI/000139 57
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