Navigating the latest changes in waste legislation

Tom Eng, Senior Vice President and Head of TOMRA Recycling, provides an overview of some of the recent changes in European and international waste legislation and highlights the implications of these changes for waste operators.

The global waste and recycling sector is heavily regulated and, in addition to international legislation, almost every country will have its own regulations which waste operators must adhere to. Waste legislation is the backbone of our industry and, for the most part, any changes in legislation are to be welcomed because they are almost always aimed at further improving recycling quality standards or boosting recycling rates – whether at a local, national or international level.

I’d like to take a look at three of the most recent legislative changes that have come into force: the Basel Convention Plastic Waste Amendments, China’s ban on solid waste imports and, briefly, the European Green Deal.