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Waste Statistics 2000

3. Recycling

3.1 Recycling distributed on fractions

Table 4 shows the share of the different waste fractions that are separated for recycling in the form of either reprocessing, composting or biogasification The table is not an outline of total amounts generated of each fraction.

Table 4
Recycling in Denmark in 1996 - 2000 of waste from primary sources, distributed on waste fractions. In '000 tonnes

Sources: ISAG and, (1) Association of Danish Recycling Industries and other large scrap dealers, (2) Elsam and Energi E2, (3) Reports to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency on sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants applied to farmland etc. Figures from 1999 have been used. Sludge in long-term storage has been included in amounts for recycling, (4) Adjustment for ferrous metals removed from waste incineration plants has been made to avoid double counting. Some of the collective terms such as "Other recyclables", "Other construction and demolition waste" and "Soil and stone" may contribute – after separation has been completed – to additional quantities of items such as tiles, wood etc.

As the table shows, 8,460,000 tonnes of waste were recycled in 2000, which is 8 per cent or 645,000 tonnes more than in 1999. This increase may be attributed to large increases in recycling of especially paper and cardboard, garden waste, ferrous metals, concrete and tiles. By contrast, there was a slight decrease in the recycling of hazardous waste, bottles and glass and fly ash and slag.

3.2 Paper and cardboard

Total collected waste paper in 2000 amounted to 735,000 tonnes. This is an increase of 142,000 tonnes from total amounts collected in 1999. Some of the increase from 1999 to 2000 is explained by a correction of reporting to the ISAG.

In the quality control of reports for 2000 it was seen that one plant until today has registered incorrectly the commercial source of collected paper.

The registration for 2000 from the plant was therefore changed so that around 100,000 tonnes were registered as paper from primary sources instead as from secondary sources.

The incorrect registration also took place in previous years, and this explains to a high extent the previous large difference between Waste paper collected and Danish waste paper sent to Danish paper mills + Net exports.

Table 5
Consumption and recycling of paper and cardboard 1995 - 2000. In '000 tonnes

Sources: (1) Material stream analysis of waste paper. (2) ISAG reports. (3) Statistics Denmark. (4) There is still a minor discrepancy between waste paper collected, and Danish waste paper sent to Danish paper mills + net exports. This may be due to stock enlargement, and it may concern paper of poor quality that is led to other treatment than recycling after separation.

Table 6 shows the distribution of collected paper on sources. Not surprisingly, the largest amounts of waste paper are collected from households, the service sector⁷ and industry.

Amounts of waste paper collected from households increased slightly by around 1,800 tonnes from 1999 to 2000. Since 1997, amounts of paper collected from households have remained stable at around 180,000 tonnes⁸.

In the quality assurance of data for 2000 several plants have reported that they have seen a decrease in amounts collected from households.

One of the explanations is believed to be the establishment of more recycling centres for industry and the fact that local authorities to a higher extent enforce the ban on enterprises delivering waste to ordinary municipal recycling centres that are reserved for households.

In the ISAG, waste delivered to a recycling centre is registered with the commercial source "recycling centre/transfer station". Thus, it is not stated whether waste originated from households or other commercial sources.

Therefore, the ISAG secretariat has redistributed waste from "recycling centres/ transfer stations", cf. Annex 2. All bulky waste with the source "recycling centres/ transfer stations" and covering the fraction "paper & cardboard" will have its source changed to "households". This is done due to the assumption that recycling centres are reserved for households. However, there are indications that some of this paper and cardboard actually originates from industry.

The enhanced focus from local authorities on reserving recycling centres for households may have led to a more "correct" distribution of collected paper on sources. However, this is only the present theory that must be verified when ISAG reports for 2001 have become available. In these, recycling centres themselves will distribute waste on sources, cf. the latest Statutory Order on Waste No. 619.

Amounts of waste paper collected from the service sector increased by around 6,200 tonnes. Amounts of paper collected from industry also increased. However, in the latter case the above-mentioned incorrect registration will explain around 100,000 tonnes of the increase.

Table 6
Collection of waste paper by source. 1996 - 2000. Tonnes.

Source: ISAG reports 1996- 2000. (1) Note that a double registration seems to have taken place in 1998, leading to around 20,000 tonnes too high amounts.

Consumption of virgin paper and the rate of collection of waste paper in the period from 1995 to 1999 are shown in Table 5. Note that the statement of virgin paper consumption for 2000 is not yet available.⁹

3.3 Plastic

Plastic collected for recycling registered in the ISAG amounted in 2000 to 40,000 tonnes, which is an increase of 2,000 tonnes from 1999. However, it is assumed that some plastic has been collected and exported directly for recycling abroad without having been registered at a Danish treatment plant. It is therefore probable that larger amounts have been collected for recycling in Denmark than the 40,000 tonnes.

The fraction plastic covers both production waste and waste plastic packaging. Every year, detailed statistics are prepared for waste plastic packaging. Statistics for waste plastic packaging in 1999¹⁰ show that in 1999 22,400 tonnes of waste plastic packaging were reprocessed in Denmark. A minor part of the waste was imported: 8,400 tonnes.

In 1999, 19,500 tonnes of waste plastic packaging were collected in Denmark. Of this, 19,000 tonnes were recycled, and 5,100 tonnes were exported for recycling abroad.

Total amounts collected correspond to 11 per cent of total Danish consumption of plastic packaging. This is a steep increase from 1998, when 7 per cent of waste plastic packaging was collected for recycling. Waste plastic of the type polyethylene (PE) accounted for 80 per cent of collected amounts.

3.4 Bottles and glass

According to ISAG reports 108,000 tonnes of bottles and glass were collected for recycling in Denmark in 2000. This is 14,000 tonnes less than in 1999.

With the ISAG, however, a complete picture of total material streams is not obtained. Of special importance is recycling of glass during which several collection, reuse and treatment steps have been passed before glass becomes waste.

As a consequence, in the following description of total recycling of glass, ISAG information is supplemented with information from Statistics on glass packaging, 1999¹¹, cf. Figure 6.

Figur 6
Consumption, collection and recycling of glass and bottles 1990-99.

Source: Statistics on glass packaging 1999, Ole Kaysen, Econet. Environmental Project No. 601, 2000.

Consumption of glass packaging has been on the increase throughout the 1990s, peaking in 1997 with 190,000 tonnes. Since then, consumption decreased to 167,000 tonnes in 1999.

Also collection and recycling of glass packaging have been increasing. In 1999, however, amounts of collected glass were unchanged from 1998: 126,000 tonnes. By contrast, amounts of recycled glass increased by 5,000 tonnes from 1998, up to 123,000 tonnes in 1999.

This means that the rate of collection of total consumption in 1999 reached 75 per cent – an increase of 7 percentage points compared to 1998. The rate of recycling of total consumption in 1999 reached 74 per cent, which is an increase of 10 percentage points compared to 1998.

Bottles for beer and soft drinks manufactured for reuse are not included in this statement. Refillable glass bottles, on average, make 30 trips. If these bottles were manufactured as single-use bottles, it would give an increase in waste glass of around 310,000 tonnes.

3.5 Ferrous metals

Table 7 shows amounts of ferrous scrap collected, distributed on consignees. For 2000, it is seen that 1,089,000 tonnes of ferrous scrap were recycled, and this is a significant increase of 124,000 tonnes compared to 1999.

Table 7
Recycling of ferrous scrap 1996 - 2000. In '000 tonnes

Sources: (1) ISAG reports, (2) Information from the Association of Danish Recycling Industries and other large scrap dealers. Remark that the statement used in table 7 is slightly different from the statement in table 3. For example, the adjustment for ferrous scrap removed from waste incineration plants has not been made.

Total potential of ferrous scrap is not known precisely. Recycling industries normally estimate a recycling rate in excess of 90 per cent for ferrous scrap.

According to ISAG reports, the Danish Steel Works and other Danish foundries imported 220,000 tonnes of ferrous scrap in 2000, whereas scrap dealers imported around 16,000 tonnes. Total imports in 2000 thereby amounted to 236,000 tonnes of ferrous scrap, which is 16,000 tonnes less than in 1999.

Scrap dealers exported 689,000 tonnes of ferrous scrap in 2000, which adds up to net exports in 2000 of 673,000 tonnes.

3.6 Organic waste for composting, wood chipping and biogasification

Amounts of organic waste led to reprocessing in the form of either composting, wood chipping, biogasification or fodder production are shown in Table 8.

Organic waste led to reprocessing in 2000 amounted to 1,197,000 tonnes. This is 152,000 tonnes more than in 1999. This increase is particularly attributable to an increase in amounts of sludge for composting: 84,000 tonnes more in 2000 than in 1999 – but also to an increase of 43,000 tonnes in amounts of garden waste for composting/wood chipping.

Table 8
Amounts of organic waste 1995-2000 delivered to composting, wood chipping and biogasification, and removal from plants of compost, wood chips and screenings. Stated in '000 tonnes.

Source: ISAG reports do not include information whether organic material is reprocessed as compost, wood chips or biogas. The table is designed on the basis of estimates and calculations from ISAG reports.

Amounts of organic domestic waste from households led to biogas plants have been halved from 1999. The reason is that local authorities in the area around the city of Elsinore no longer collect domestic waste for biogasification. By contrast, amounts of organic waste from other sources than households led to biogasification were 32,000 tonnes larger in 2000 than in 1999.

Quantities of bark/wood chips and compost removed from the plants do not reflect the quantities generated. This quantity should be considered as reflecting the quantity sold or delivered free.

It is seen from the table that amounts of sold/removed bark/wood chips were around 2,000 tonnes larger than in 1999, whereas amounts of sold/removed compost were 44,000 tonnes larger than in 1999.

3.7 Tyres

In 1995, the Minister for Environment and Energy entered an agreement with a number of organisations, on a take-back scheme for used tyres from cars, vans, and motorcycles.

The purpose of the agreement is to ensure collection and recycling of used tyres in Denmark. Landfilling is avoided and resource recovery ensured, whereby material recovery is prioritised to energy recovery.

The scheme started 1 April 1995 and is financed by a fee on tyres comprised by the agreement and marketed in Denmark.

According to the agreement, the target is a take-back rate of at least 80 per cent.

As per 1 April 2000 the scheme was extended to cover tyres for all types of motor vehicles. Therefore, there is a data leap from 1999 to 2000 in the statement in Table 9. The table shows that the 2000 collection rate reached around 99 per cent, and almost all tyres covered are thus collected.

Table 9
Collection of car, van and motorcycle tyres. Tonnes.

Source: Statement from Danish Environmental Protection Agency for the period 1.7.95 - 31.12.95 and reports from the Danish Tyre Trade Environmental Foundation for 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. 2^nd half 1995 includes 1,000 tonnes collected in the first half of 1995, thereby increasing the collection rate.

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