Italy establishes End-of-Waste standards through legislation.
End-of-Waste Decree Enacted
The Italian Environment Minister, Sergio Costa, has announced the imminent official publication of the End-of-Waste decree. The provision will allow an increase in the share of end-of-life tyres to be destined for material recovery, to increase the quality of recycled materials and to support the development and investments of companies in the ELT recycling chain.
The decree should create a better overview of the recycling procedures for ELT, to guarantee an even higher quality and safety level of the materials leaving plants. This, in turn, should result in a full and effective recovery in many valid applications and products.
Among the main operational requirements introduced, treatment plants must equip themselves with a wash system at the intake point. The wash system will eliminate surface impurities. Additionally, the establishment of sampling and analysis on the recycled material at the end of production will enable the manufacturer to certify each batch of recyclate. The decree means that, for instance, ground rubber is no longer defined as recycled rubber but “granulated vulcanised rubber”.
The introduction of national legislation will allow the industry to overcome the differences that arise with localised, case-by-case approvals.
The establishment of common standards gives the recycling plants certainty of how the recycled material they produce will be framed. At the same time, client companies that use granules and rubber powder can count on certification of every single batch of material.
“We are very satisfied with the signing of the decree, which completes a long path that, as Ecopneus, we have constantly supported over the years for the development of an industrial culture in the supply chain,” said Giovanni Corbetta, General Manager of Ecopneus. “This will encourage companies to invest and increase their treatment capacity, and above all, to improve the quality of the outgoing secondary raw materials. We now hope for a rapid publication in the Official Journal to give concrete start to the new course”.
