Having led extensive lobbying efforts last year, British Metals Recycling Association welcomes the EU Commission’s move to set a limit of 500 parts-per-million (ppm) for POP PBDEs within recycled compounds and articles. 

Despite this, there are calls from governments and NGOs around the world to further limit permissible levels to 50ppm. Were this to happen, BMRA predicts all post-consumer durable plastics from end-of-life vehicles (ELV)  and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) would no longer be eligible for recovery/recycling.

This would see some 665,000 tonnes of durable plastics having to be sent for high-temperature incineration or hazardous landfill in the UK, neither of which has enough capacity to deal with these volumes.

For more information, please read the position paper we produced in partnership with the British Plastics Federation, and the Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling.