Extended producer responsibility is a concept that applies in the waste management sector since the year 2016. The producers finance through this principle the costs of separated waste collection by means of producer responsibility organizations.
Recently, certain information spread more and more frequently that the extended producer responsibility does not meet the targets set out in the legislation in force.
Limits and targets of the waste management
„NATUR-PACK as one of the producer responsibility organizations with the market share higher than 40 % meets all targets set out by the Waste Act. We publish related information in the Report of the producer responsibility organization which is freely available on our web-site, and its extended version is delivered to the Ministry of Environment SR,” NATUR-PACK director Michal Sebíň says.
„We have exceeded the waste recovery and recycling rate – or more understandably speaking the limits as defined in the chapter III of the Annex No. 3 to the Waste Act – in all packaging commodities. We have managed to utilize 66 % of glass packaging, 58 % of plastic packaging, 71 % of paper packaging, 20 % of composite packaging and 81 % of metal packaging out of the amounts introduced to the market by our producers during the year 2019,” informs M. Sebíň.
Also the data issued by EUROSTAT show that in the achievement of targets in packaging waste sector the Slovak Republic reached the level comparable with the most developed EU member states. The total recycling rate of the packaging waste reached 65.7 % out of the amount of packaging introduced to the market during the year 2017 – a figure that is very close to the data from Austria (65.6 %) or Finland (65.2 %). In the sector of plastic packaging recycling we reached 52.4 %, more than the European average (41.9 %).
Achievement of recycling targets for PLASTIC PACKAGING in the EU member states:
The collection targets for packaging waste and for waste from non-packaging materials are calculated individually for each producer responsibility organization. “The Ministry of Environment sets out the percent rate of the potential, i.e. what percent of the packaging waste and waste from non-packaging materials can be separated from the mixed municipal waste. We have separated 40 % out of the total amount of packaging and non-packaging waste during the preceding period, and we have defined a target 50 % since July 1st, 2020,” explains M. Sebíň.
The achievement of collection targets for packaging waste and waste from non-packaging materials contributes to the meeting of the overall objective of the municipal waste management in SR, according to which Slovakia should recycle 50 % of the municipal waste in the year 2020. Given that we reached the rate 39 % in the year 2019, and only 36.3 % a year earlier, it is assumed that the target will not be achieved. The achievement of the overall target of the SR waste management is not transferred to the producers, as it comprises also the categories of waste that are not covered by the extended producer responsibility. The highest potential of separation from the municipal waste is represented by biologically degradable municipal waste (more than 40 %), the collection of which started to develop gradually in Slovakia.
Information and education
„Each producer responsibility organization is obliged to improve the public awareness on the proper separation, and to implement training activities for the public. In this sense, NATUR-PACK is even more active than required by the legislation. We act as a partner of unique training projects and programs that we develop ourselves – as for example the only YouTube portal with regular presentation of videos concerning waste in Slovakia, or in cooperation with non-profit organizations (Alchemy of municipal waste separation), collection companies or active producers among our clients (project “Chytrý Macko” – “The Smart Teddy Bear”),” adds PR director of NATUR-PACK Marek Brinzík.
Moreover, we have received a status of communication partner since the last year, for example for the unique project of the project Less Waste Run, or in the campaign “I am not a pig.”
We consider the communication with professional, as well as broad public an important component of our efforts to permanently improve the waste separation and recycling effectiveness in Slovakia.
The video contains English subtitles.
