EUROSHORE published first figures for collection of waste from its members for the period 1st January to 31st December 2019.
To present these figures we particularly paid attention to avoid double counting, when collected waste is sent by boat to another port reception facility for further treatment.
Figures are presented in tonnes and split according to MARPOL categories as follows:
Annex 1 for oil and oily waste
Annex 2 for noxious liquid substances carried in bulk
Annex 3 for harmful substances carried in packaged form
Annex 4 for sewage
Annex 5 for ship generated garbage
Annex 6 for air pollution
EUROSHORE members collected a total of 2.5 million tonnes of waste in 2019. Oil and oily waste represent the main collection volumes for port reception facilities to avoid degassing and discharge at seas.
In the particular context of European Green Deal and the attention to the principle of circular economy to avoid spoiling resources and protect the environment, EUROSHORE would like to draw your attention to the case of recovered fuel after treatment. The spirit of circular economy and related legislations is to ensure that all recoverable materials are effectively diverted from disposal, to limit the use of new raw materials and consequently to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Therefore, there is a close link between circular economy, waste management and raw materials policy and we need them to be compatible.
The competitivity of recovered materials depends in many cases on the recognition by the Member States of an end-of-waste status and on taxation systems application of these materials.
EUROSHORE pleads for a recognition of recovered fuel. In the particular case of Europe, this recognition should be the same in all Member states, under the same criteria, as new products. They should be encouraged when they avoid extracting new fuel by economic incentives like lower tax rates than virgin fossil fuels taking into account the embedded costs and CO2 savings. It is better for the environment and help support the European energy independence, as stated by the European Parliament and the Council of The European Union in the Directive 2018/2001 of 11 December 2018 where it recognizes that “The promotion of recycled carbon fuels can contribute towards the policy objectives of energy diversification and decarbonisation of the transport sector where they fulfil the appropriate minimum greenhouse gas emissions savings threshold”.
As there is, until now, no European specific criteria published as regulation to define a European End of Waste status for waste fuels, we are limited by the existing national End of Waste criteria, which vary from one country to another. Homogeneous quality criteria European wide to guarantee the protection of health and the environment are necessary and we do believe that a European end-of-waste status should be developed in order to create a significant market under equal playing conditions. Otherwise recovered fuel will remain marginal and under exploited. EUROSHORE will come back on this in later editions.