looking back and looking forward…

Looking back and looking forward…Achievements, challenges and lessons for Denmark

Joe Papineschi, Director

Eunomia Research & Consulting

19th September 2019

Topics

• Eunomia

• Nordic Council of Ministers project

• Conclusions for Denmark

About Eunomia

Other

Non-Governmental OrganisationsNational Government

Private Sector

Supranational Government

Local Government

5%

12%

23%

42%

17%

1%

Bristol Based

Global Reach

Nordic Council of Ministers Project Team

Nordic Recycling

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Eu

ros

tat

Re

po

rte

d R

ec

yc

lin

g R

ate

(%

)

Sweden

Denmark

Finland

Norway

Iceland

50% Target 2020

65% Target 2035

Nordic Waste Generation

Danish Policy History

Evolution of Residual Waste Taxes

Recycling in Danmark

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

RO (2014 / Method 4)CY (2014 / Method 2)

SK (2015 / Method 4)

MT (2013 / Method 1)

HR (2015 / Method 2)

PL (2015 / Method 2)

EL (2015 / Method 2)

LV (2015 / Method 4)

BG (2015 / Method 4)

ES (2014 / Method 4)

PT (2015 / Method 2)

EE (2015 / Method 2)

FI (2014 / Method 4)

SI (2015 / Method 4)IT (2012 / Method 2)HU (2015 / Method 2)

UK (2015 / Method 3)

IE (2014 / Method 1)

LT (2015 / Method 2)

CZ (2015 / Method 2)

NL (2015 / Method 2)

LU (2014 / Method 2)

DK (2014 / Method 1)

BE (2015 / Method 3)

FR (2011 / Method 2)

SE (2015 / Method 2)

DE (2014 / Method 4)

AT (2014 / Method 2)

Member States consulted as part of Phase 1 Member States not consulted as part of Phase 1 Baseline Member State recycling rate 50% target

Measurement methods…

Calculation Method

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Denmark Method 1 - - 51.70% 51.90% 52.70%

Finland Method 4 32.60% 34.80% 33.30% 32.50% 32.60%

Sweden Method 2 62.00% - 62.20% - 61.40%

New EU Challenges for Denmark

• Mandatory recycling targets for municipal waste:

• 55% by 2025; 60%by 2030; 65% by 2035

• 75% recycling of packaging waste by 2030

All under new measurement method

• Separate collection of Bio-waste by 2024

• EPR reform

• Full coverage of ‘necessary costs’

• ‘Modulation’ of EPR fees

• Addressing ‘free riders’ (including e-commerce)

• Single Use Plastics Directive

• Includes bans, targets and EPR for plastic packaging in litter

Conclusions for the future of Danish resource management

Global Temperature rise: Risks and impacts

Climate Scenarios

Source: Climate Analytics

Renewables or Efficiency?

Source: IRENA

GHG Impacts of Resource Management

-23.000 -18.000 -13.000 -8.000 -3.000 2.000

Paper / card

Plastic

Glass

Textiles

Steel

Aluminium

Garden (composting)

Food waste (AD)

WEEE

Others

Paper / card

Plastic

Glass

Textiles

Steel

Aluminium

Garden (composting)

Food waste (AD)

WEEE

Others

Landfill

Incineration CHP

Incineration

Emissions, kg CO2 equivalent per tonne of waste managed

RESIDUAL WASTE TREATMENT

RECYCLING & COMPOSTING

AVOIDED PRODUCTION (WASTE PREVENTION, REUSE)

Resource Efficiency and Climate Change

Source: Green Alliance

Cumulative impact of high recycling rates

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1,000

1,100

1,200

1,300

1,400

1,500

1,600

1,700

1,800

1,900

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate


• Start with 100 ‘original’ cans

• Collect 70% for recycling

• Recycling yield 95%

• Repeat…


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

67 recycled

cans

Recycle 100 cans

to get…


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

47 recycled

cans

Recycle 67 cans

to get…


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

33 recycled

cans

Recycle 47 cans

to get…


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

23 recycled

cans

Recycle 33 cans

to get…


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

16 recycled

cans

Recycle 23 cans

to get…


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

11 recycled

cans

Recycle 16 cans

to get…


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

And so on…


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

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ater

ial

Recycling Rate

222 total

recycled

cans


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

Lower recycling rate, fewer new cans


0

100

200

300

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

Higher recycling rate, more new cans


0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1,000

1,100

1,200

1,300

1,400

1,500

1,600

1,700

1,800

1,900

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%

Nu

mb

er o

f C

ans

Mad

e o

f R

ecyc

led

Mat

eria

lfr

om

10

0 C

ans

mad

e o

f R

aw M

ater

ial

Recycling Rate

Very high recycling rate, a lot more cans

Resource Efficiency: Greenhouse Gas Impacts

-23.000 -18.000 -13.000 -8.000 -3.000 2.000

Paper / card

Plastic

Glass

Textiles

Steel

Aluminium

Garden (composting)

Food waste (AD)

WEEE

Others

Paper / card

Plastic

Glass

Textiles

Steel

Aluminium

Garden (composting)

Food waste (AD)

WEEE

Others

Landfill

Incineration CHP

Incineration

Emissions, kg CO2 equivalent per tonne of waste managed

RESIDUAL WASTE TREATMENT

RECYCLING & COMPOSTING

AVOIDED PRODUCTION (WASTE PREVENTION, REUSE)

Impacts of Microplastics

• Ingestion by benthic invertebrates

• Lugworms, mussels, oysters

• Reduced feeding and weight loss in lug worms

• Oysters produce fewer and less healthy offspring

• Ingestion by fish

• Microplastics found in 37% of fish examined in the English

Channel

Recycling: New Measurement Method

• Waste Framework Directive Recital 46• …The calculation of the recycling targets should be based on the weight of

municipal waste which enters recycling. As a general rule, the actual measurement of the weight of municipal waste counted as recycled should be at the point where municipal waste enters the recycling operation…. Losses of materials which occur before the waste enters the recycling operation, for instance due to sorting or other preliminary operations, should not be included in the waste amounts reported as recycled

• Waste Framework Directive Artilce 11a (1) (c)• …the weight of the municipal waste recycled shall be calculated as the weight

of waste which, having undergone all necessary checking, sorting and other preliminary operations to remove waste materials that are not targeted by the subsequent reprocessing and to ensure high-quality recycling, enters the recycling operation whereby waste materials are actually reprocessed into products, materials or substances

CP

Plastic separated by polymer that does not undergo further processing before entering pelletisation, extrusion, or moulding operations;

Plastic flakes that do not undergo further processing before their use in a final product.

Is WTE ‘too cheap’ in Denmark?

Mandatory Targets for Municipalities

Consistent or Minimum Collection Standards

EPR Fee Modulation: French Bonus/Malus

EPR Fee Modulation: Italian 4-level System

Recycling Rate Trajectory – Germany and Wales

GHG Emissions Savings (t CO2e )

Material Recycling Rates Required

Last words…

• Big challenges for Denmark…

• But also huge opportunities

• Getting EPR right

• Leveraging emerging technologies

• Making most of existing situation

• Role as provider of super-efficient WTE

• Taking DRS to next level

• Building on tradition of public infrastructure

• Make the right decisions – based on the

evidence!

www.eunomia.co.uk

@Eunomia_RandC

[email protected]

http://www.eunomia.co.uk/

mailto:[email protected]

looking back and looking forward…

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