IKANED

One in five of all waste shipments in the European Union is illegal. Inspectors do what they can to turn the tide, but they face many challenges.

As the lorry driver lifted up the heavy protective covering that encased his container, government inspector Koos Kasemir was able to cast a glance inside. The container was filled with discarded newspapers, cardboard and the occasional translucent bag filled with advertising brochures. Satisfied, Kasemir nodded. This cargo was ‘clean’ enough for his tastes. After checking his paperwork, he allowed the driver to continue on his way through the Netherlands.

Many freights he checks are not allowed passage, Kasemir explained. As a government inspector with the environment ministry, Kasemir conducts regular inspections of waste transports. This inspection took place near the German border and was carried out in close cooperation with border patrol and customs officers. “During almost every inspection we find a cargo we need to send back because it is not up to European regulation standards,” Kasemir said.

Illegal waste everywhere

Shipments of illegal waste are not hard to find in the European Union. Impel, a European network of environmental agencies, recently announced that 19 percent of all waste shipments within or leaving the EU is illegal. This number was established in Impel’s latest inspection project, which lasted from October 2008 to June 2009, had 22 member states participating, and covered 10,000 shipments and hundreds of companies. Over 12 percent of all shipments did not possess the correct paperwork. The remaining seven percent were carrying waste destined for a country not allowed to accept it.

“If the paperwork is not in order that doesn’t mean there is an immediate problem,” said Jonathan Verschuuren, a professor of European environmental law. “But some waste products that are being shipped to developing nations are simply illegal. You can bet they won’t be processed in an environmentally sound way there. It is shocking that the percentage of illegal export to countries outside the EU is so high.”

The shipments include electronic equipment discarded in Europe destined to be sent to Africa, used-up tires that are considered good enough in Vietnam, and ‘contaminated’ waste: discarded paper with too high a percentage of plastic mixed in. These types of waste can prove challenging to recycle here. It is cheaper for businesses to export their waste to a country where the regulations are less strict. “And apparently the chance of getting caught is not big enough,” Verschuuren said.

One man for all of Bulgaria

It is hard to compare EU countries and determine where the problems are the biggest. Inspection capacity varies all over the EU. “In Bulgaria, for example, one person is responsible for both inspections and enforcement,” said Albert Klingenberg, an inspector for the Dutch environment ministry. “They just don’t have the manpower. In other countries people think, since we have European legislation concerning import and export of waste products the rest will take care of itself.” Greece, Spain, and Italy for instance, failed to take part in the latest Impel project, leaving the agency with an incomplete picture of waste transports emanating from these countries.

The European Commission has proposed creating a European agency to coordinate the transport of waste products within the EU and exports to Asia and Africa. Inspector Klingenberg could not say whether his ministry supports such a move, but he did emphasise that illegal transports were a problem that had to be dealt with at a European level. “We have to improve inspections bit-by-bit,” he said.

Professor Verschuuren supports the creation of a European agency. Member states should improve their knowledge of complex European waste regulations in any way possible, he said. “This complexity is a problem that cannot be solved easily,” he said. “Because what exactly constitutes waste? There are many different rules concerning recyclable waste products and the extraction of waste products. An inspector staring into the back of a lorry is hard pressed to enforce these rules.”

This is why inspector Koos Kasemir relies not only on his database when inspecting, but also on his gut. From afar, he spots lorries owned by specific companies standing in a traffic jam just over the border. He knows from experience their paperwork or cargo is not always in order. “Let’s pull that one over and have a look,” he said.

Source: www.nrc.nl

Published: 3 March 2010 13:20 | Changed: 4 March 2010 09:40

Article by Annemarie Kas