European Container Glass Federation: DRS could jeopardize existing collection and recycling systems

15 Jun 2021 --- The European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) has issued an open letter warning Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) fail to maximize the quantity or quality of recycled glass. 

FEVE says including glass in a DRS could have a range of negative consequences and put existing collection and recycling systems at risk.

“We consider that the highest recycling rates for glass can be achieved when there is a separate single glass collection system, consistent kerbside and bottle bank collections, and effective public communication initiatives, under a system of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR),” explains Adeline Farrelly, secretary general at FEVE.

“We therefore support improved EPR schemes and municipal waste management systems that make collection simple for the consumer and optimal for the recycling value chain.”

However, FEVE believes DRS can be useful when applied to plastic containers, helping reduce littering, boost collection rates and optimize plastic recycling processes for food contact applications.

EPR to the rescue
FEVE says EPR schemes already ensure all types of glass containers are effectively collected and recycled. The top three European countries (Belgium, Slovenia and Sweden) for glass recycling operate an EPR-only scheme.

Of the ten countries with a glass recycling rate above 80 percent, only three operate a combined DRS-EPR system (Denmark, Germany and Finland).

Contrary to DRS systems, which are typically only used for beverage containers (beer, water, soft drinks), EPR schemes already ensure all glass packaging types – not simply a small portion – are collected and recycled effectively via kerbside and bottle bank collection, FEVE indicates.

“DRS cannot be considered a mainstream solution for tackling waste glass as the six DRS (Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, and Lithuania) in operation across Europe only accounts for 436,000 tons of the 14 million tonnes of waste glass generated, i.e., it only accounts for 3.1 percent of the waste glass generated across Europe,” explains Farrelly.

“Only in Croatia and Finland is DRS the major collection mechanism, while in the other four countries, less than 20 percent of glass is collected via the DRS.”According to FEVE, the average glass container collection rate across Europe is 76%.

DRS damaging to kerbside collection
Diverting glass packaging away from EPR schemes through a recycling DRS puts at risk the viability of glass kerbside and bottle bank collections and undoes decades of investment in infrastructure and education, FEVE also highlights.

“The implementation of a recycling DRS could impact on the efficient collection by the local authorities of out-of-scope packaging,” continues Farrelly.

“The DRS removes high-value, high-quality glass from the EPR system, which can have a major impact on the viability of the EPR system.”

For example, DRS is in operation in Croatia, Estonia and Lithuania and, although the recycling rates for in-scope glass are high, the overall national recycling rates are below the EU-27 average and placing all three countries within the eight lowest recycling nations in Europe.

In Lithuania, the recycling rate for glass since the implementation of the recycling DRS in 2016 has been below the 2015 rate of 74.3 percent.

DRS brings high costs
According to FEVE, the cost of operating a DRS scheme is substantially higher than EPR schemes, especially for glass.

“Evidence from existing DRS shows the handling and management of glass is far harder than PET or cans and reflected in the material level producer fees,” says Farrelly.

“The inclusion of glass in a recycling DRS results at best in marginal gains but at a very high cost. The cost of operating the DRS varies considerably from €124 (US$150) per ton in Estonia to €333 (US$404) per ton in Finland, with an average cost across the four countries of €213 (US$258) per ton.”

The operating costs associated with the EPR scheme can be seen to be far more consistent across the four countries. These vary from €77 (US$93) per ton in Germany to €112 (US$136) per ton in Finland, with an average cost of €94 (US$114) per ton.

Avoiding consumer confusion
Moreover, running two glass collection systems in parallel can confuse consumers, meaning less effective recycling, FEVE adds.

The majority of the countries operating a recycling DRS had or still have a well-established refillable DRS. Consumers have been accustomed to the two-system approach, meaning the transition to the recycling DRS was easy, explains Farrelly.

“However, in many Member States, the refillable markets have disappeared, and consumers are used to just one recycling system. Therefore, running two glass collection systems in parallel is more confusing for citizens and risks less glass being recycled due to a dual system,” she says.

“Additionally, it is burdensome for consumers to identify DRS waste packaging, for which they can claim a deposit, from non-DRS waste packaging.”Feve aims to boost the European glass collection for recycling rate to 90% by 2030 and improve the quality of recycled glass.

Risk of market distortion
FEVE’s final concern is glass in the recycling DRS risks shifting the packaging market away from the material and toward PET or metal cans.

“The unintended market-distorting effects of DRS for glass are clearly visible within market data,” says Farrelly.

“The impact of DRS on the market share of glass for in-scope products is very stark, with those countries operating a dual EPR-DRS system having a glass market share 65-78 percent lower than those without an existing DRS.”

Boosting recycling rates
More than 125,000 people work in the glass packaging value chain across Europe. Glass is a permanent material, meaning it can be endlessly recycled without losing its intrinsic properties.

In February, the European Parliament voted in favor of the Circular Economy Action Plan, demonstrating support for permanent materials that can be infinitely recycled without loss of quality.

Unlike other waste streams, there is a high demand for recycled glass and the average collection rate across Europe is currently 76 percent, with most of the bottles recycled being reprocessed back into bottles, FEVE highlights.

The association aims to boost the European glass collection for recycling rate to 90 percent by 2030 and improve the quality of recycled glass.

Meanwhile, Gerresheimer and other leading glass producers are participating in the Furnace for the Future European joint project to achieve climate-neutral glass production.

FEVE’S open letter supports the response submitted by British Glass on the UK public consultation on “Introducing a Deposit Return Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

By Joshua Poole