1. science
2. ecology
3. waste management
4. recycling

Zpětný odběr
ASEKOL MAGAZINE
2013
How to deal with scrapyard robberies
Difficult issue of secondary raw materials at scrapyards
ASEKOL Solar
News in the recycling of solar panels
Kin failure
A smart but unsuccessful phone from Microsoft
Y
Yttrium is a grey to silvery white transition metal chemically similar to the lanthanides. It was
named after the town of Ytterby near Stockholm, where it was discovered in 1787 by the geologist Carl Axel Arrhenius. The Earth’s crust contains approximately 30 mg/kg, and the element
occurs naturally only in the form of compounds. The world supply of yttrium is comprised of
540 kilotonnes of yttrium oxide (Y2O3), of which 220 kt is in China, 120 kt in the USA, 100 kt in
Australia and 72 kt in India. In 2011, global production of Y2O3 reached 8.9 kt, of which 8.8 kt
was extracted in China. The extraction of ores containing yttrium is not only expensive but also
environmentally unfriendly. That is why extraction in the USA has subsided and almost all global production comes from China. At present, most yttrium produced serves as a material in the
production of luminophores for television screens. Along with europium oxides, yttrium compounds are applied to the inside cover of screens, where they emit red luminescence when hit
by an accelerated electron. When recycling used screens, it is necessary to remove the luminophore layer as its presence during recasting changes the optical properties of the glass and reduces glass quality. Its removal also yields precious elements that may then be reused. Such waste
contains around 10% yttrium, the price of which is in the order of thousands of CZK per kg. The
individual elements may be separated using a number of diverse methods, such as liquid extraction of complex salts, ion chromatography and selective precipitation of insoluble complex salts.
Up to an approximately 90% yield can be achieved through liquid extraction.
EDITORIAL
CONTENTS
Dear readers, I would like to welcome you to the
year 2013, which for most of us certainly took off at an
unexpected speed. In this case, I hope and believe that
13 will be a lucky number for all our readers. This year,
the ASEKOL compliance scheme will face a number of
interesting challenges, some of which you will read about
in this magazine.
ASEKOL’s most crucial challenge on an international level
is organising the prestigious conference Take Back 2013.
The fourth annual instalment of this conference will be
held in conjunction with the meeting of the WEEE Forum
– European Association of Electrical and Electronic Waste
Take Back Systems in Prague, at the same time that our
magazine will be issued. This year’s event follows up on the
successes of the three previous years. Nearly 1,500 people
participated in those events in total and helped to make
them the greatest events for the professional public in the
take-back field in Central and Eastern Europe.
We have selected the most interesting topics from the
event’s programme. The workshop on the controversial
topic of precious metal scrapyards and their positive and
especially negative impacts on the state economy and
on the take-back system itself is sure to inspire a lively
discussion. This issue thus comprises the focus of the main
article herein. We will also take a look at the recycling
of rare earth metals, which is becoming an increasingly
relevant and sensitive topic worldwide, and will present
to you certain legislative changes being made both in the
Czech Republic and across Europe. These issues will surely
also be addressed by conference speakers.
I look forward to meeting all conference participants,
and to those who cannot attend I hope you will find the
following pages both enjoyable and informative.
4
ow active are Czechs in
H
electronics take-back?
A presentation of the most recent statistics on
results of electronics take-back in the Czech
Republic on a country-wide level.
Purchase of
8Topic:
secondary materials
Seeking effective solutions to the controversial
issue of scrapyards.
processing
14European
standards in Prague
As of April, the European headquarters of the
WEEELABEX Office will conduct certification of
processors from Prague.
earth metals
16Rare
– a precious commodity
Will China continue to keep us in check in the
area of rare earth metals, or is there a path to
self-sufficiency?
Hana Jarešová
Internal and External Communications Specialist
Take-Back, the magazine of the ASEKOL company, issue 2013, published on April 12th, 2013 in Prague. The magazine
is issued once a year and has registration number at the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic E 17603. Publisher:
ASEKOL s.r.o., Id. No.: 27373231, československého exilu 2062/8, 143 00 Prague 4. Editor-in-chief: Hana Jarešová. Editorial
Board: Jan Vrba, Eva Zvěřinová, Hana Ansorgová, Hana Jarešová. Suggestions and questions: [email protected], Phone
Nr.: +420 234 235 282, +420 234 235 111. Production and publishing: Boomerang Publishing, s. r. o., Nad Kazankou 37,
171 00 Prague 7, www.bpublishing.cz. The information is valid on the date of the editorial deadline. We reserve the right to
alter the mentioned data or correct printing errors.
asekol info / TEXT: Hana Jarešová / Photo: asekol archive
Fewer electronics handed over last year
The collection of discarded devices has stabilised in recent years following dramatic
growth of more than 30% before 2009. In 2012, Czechs sorted a total of 43,148 tonnes
of electronic equipment through compliance schemes, which is 1,600 tonnes less than
in the previous year, and reached a similar result as in 2010. We managed to meet the
European collection target of 4 kg per person.
A levelling-off in the amount of collected devices has
been apparent since 2010, due especially to the economic situation affecting sales of electronics. ‘People
are more hesitant about whether to get rid of old devices only due to current trends or to wait for the device to actually reach the end of its operational life,’
explains Mr Jan Vrba, Managing Director of ASEKOL.
‘However, the collection results for 2012 may be considered good given the current economic situation,’
Mr Vrba adds.
A more substantial decline in collection has apparently been prevented mainly by the category of home
appliances. Large home appliance such as refrigerators,
washing machines and cookers are not as influenced by
the new trends, and their volume accounts for approximately 75% of collected electronics. Although small devices are turned in least frequently and often end up
in communal waste, from a long-term perspective the
share of small electronics is growing. ASEKOL’s innovative red containers, which have expanded to over 1,700
stands throughout the Czech Republic in the past two
years, also have contributed to this trend.
Each citizen of the Czech Republic turned in an average 4.1 kg of old electronics (i.e. 0.14 kg less than
in 2011) to the ASEKOL, EKOLAMP and ELEKTROWIN
compliance schemes. The Zlín region has traditionally shown very good results, and more than 5.3 kg
of electronic waste per person was handed over in
2012. Zlín is closely followed by the Hradec Králové
(5.14 kg/person) and Vysočina (4.95 kg/person) regions. At the other end of scale was the Ústí nad Labem
region with 2.7 kg/person and only slightly more successful were the Moravian-Silesian (3.35 kg/person)
and Karlovy Vary (3.44 kg/person) regions. From this
perspective, the Czech Republic still has large reserves
in comparison with some European countries. Scandinavian countries have long achieved the
largest collection amounts of around
17 kg per person, with Norway
being the usual record holder with
ca 30 kg/person.
COLLECTION RESULTS OF THE ASEKOL COMPLIANCE SCHEME BY REGION IN 2012
TV and PC
monitors (t)
Other EEE (t)
Total collection
of EEE (t)
1,660
657
2,317
South Bohemia
683
292
975
South Moravia
1,385
384
1,770
Karlovy Vary
228
73
301
Hradec Králové
626
216
843
Liberec
550
172
722
1,515
405
1,920
Olomouc
939
257
1,196
Pardubice
686
215
902
Pilsen
716
199
915
Central Bohemia
1,431
542
1,973
Ústí nad Labem
672
202
874
Bohemian–Moravian Highlands
759
269
1,028
1,122
281
1,403
12,974
4,165
17,139
REGION
Prague
Moravia–Silesia
Zlín
Total
COLLECTION RESULTS FOR 2012 AND COMPARISON WITH 2011
ASEKOL
ELEKTROWIN
EKOLAMP
TOTAL
17,657
26,002
1,089
44,748
1.67
2.46
0.10
4.24
17,139
25,036
973
43,148
1.63
2.38
0.09
4.10
2011
Collection for 2011 (t)
Average per person (kg)
2012
Collection for 2012 (t)
Average per person (kg)
The new EU legislation
The EU’s amended Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive will influence future collection, as
upon implementation into Czech legislation it will make stricter the collection targets. The situation may
be changed for the better, however, by continuing to raise awareness especially among the youngest generation and by gradually expanding the collection network to make it is as accessible as possible.
4
TAKE- BACK
2013
news
CZK 8,000 to the jungle
Last year's project, Help the Earth, Donate a Mobile Phone, arranged by
briefly
the Ústí nad Labem Zoo and the ASEKOL compliance scheme met with
great success. In January, the first sum of money was donated to the
preservation of a rare ecosystem on the other side of the globe.
The general public and three local schools participated in the event throughout the year. It was initiated last year by Ústí nad Labem Zoo with support
from ASEKOL and it joins together the conservation project Pesisir Balikpapan and ASEKOL’s Donate a Mobile Phone campaign. Thus far, 770 nonfunctional mobile phones have been collected, for
each of which ASEKOL has donated CZK 10 to Ústí
nad Labem Zoo.
Where the money is donated
The money collected went straight to Indonesia
to stop the devastation of tropical rainforests and
promote the conservation of the endangered proboscis monkey, which is the project’s mascot. ‘We
are pleased to have found another partner in the
struggle to protect such a precious area as Indonesia’s Balikpapan. Our objective is to raise awareness
about this ecosystem and prevent mass deforestation, construction of freeways and other dangerous
activities devastating tropical rainforests. With the
help of ASEKOL, we have made another step in the
right direction,’ says Věra Vrabcová, Press Spokesperson of Ústí nad Labem Zoo.
Not just about the money
The joining of activities of Ústí nad Labem Zoo
and ASEKOL has more than just a financial dimension. From the mobile phones collected, those still
functional were sent to children in foster homes
throughout the Czech Republic. The rest of the
phones were, of course, recycled. In addition to environmental protection and the ecological liquidation of discarded devices, another equally important aspect of the project is the effort to further
increase awareness about the necessity of sorting
waste electrical and electronic equipment.
Given its success, the project has been extended this year as well. Thus each visitor to Ústí nad
Labem Zoo has the opportunity to discard unused
mobile phones into a special receptacle located at
the zoo and thereby contribute to a good cause.
Donate a Computer
Another batch of 20 functional computer sets
will soon be repaired and donated to children in
foster homes through the Donate a Computer project, which will continue also in 2013. The project
calls on Czech businesses and institutions updating
their computer equipment to donate discarded full
computers so that they may then be of use elsewhere. More than 50 devices have already found
their way to foster homes. Since 2011, more than
60 entities have contributed to the project, giving away nearly a thousand computers in total and
thereby earning the title ‘Environmentally Friendly Firm’.
European leaders in WEEE collection
to meet in Prague
For the fourth time, Prague and the ASEKOL
compliance scheme will host the prestigious international conference Take Back 2013 – the largest of
its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. The day-long
meeting will be held on 16 April 2013 at the Corinthia
Towers Hotel and will focus on the key topics of recycling of rare earth metals, scrapyards, reuse and the
WEEELABEX Project. Czech and foreign experts from
the areas of legislation, economics, processing, state
administration and foreign policy will all contribute.
The Board of the WEEE Forum – European Association of Electrical and Electronic Waste Take Back Systems will also be holding a meeting at the same time
as the conference. We will bring you more details
from the conference in our next issue.
School trip for an entire class
in exchange for old mobile phones
The third year of the competition for school
children entitled Donate a Mobile and Win a Trip
for Your Class took place during the first two
months of this year, with 415 schools participating. Functional phones are inspected before
being donated to organisations working with citizens with disabilities or to foster homes. Nonfunctional phones are recycled by ecological
means. The three most successful classes will be
rewarded with a school trip of their choice.
In previous years, we have managed to collect almost 65,000 devices. This popular competition is
organised by the project Recycling Games – Let’s
Clean the World! in co-operation with the companies ASEKOL and T-Mobile Czech Republic.
5
photo competition / text: Hana Jarešová / Photo: winners
My World photo
competition has
the winners
Charita Opava organised the My
World photo competition for
employees and volunteers from
charitable organisations from across
the Czech Republic for the fifth
Portrait: 1st place Miloš Kolman, District Charity Žďár nad Sázavou
time, and now with the support of
ASEKOL. Nearly 300 photos from
more than 120 photo enthusiasts
competed for recognition in
a travelling exhibition.
All registered photographs were reviewed by an expert
jury, headed by photographer Jindřich Štreit along with
Jiří Siostrzonek (professor at the Institute of Creative Photography of the Silesian University), Štefan Gúber (godfather of the competition) and Jitka Šimková from ASEKOL.
The participants registered their photos in one of the
three selected categories – ‘Portrait’, with the subtitle
‘Fate Written in a Face’; ‘Life Around Us’, focusing on the
personal environments of people from charities; and finally, the topic closest to ASEKOL, ‘Recycling and the Environment’ with the slogan ‘Sort electronics? I’m in!’ The
final category received 90 photos mainly highlighting the
pitfalls of dealing with old electronics. The judges evaluated pictures depicting dumped televisions, gutted monitors being used as shelves by homeless people, a statue
of electronic components, and a group of boys examining
the inner parts of a computer.
Of the total 297 photographs submitted, the winners of
the individual categories can look forward to a public presentation of their works of art. The winners were officially
announced at the opening ceremony in the Silesian Museum in Opava, and starting on 7 April 2013 the exhibition of
the winning photos will also tour around other cities of the
Czech Republic. Participants of the Take Back 2013 conference organised by ASEKOL also will have a chance to see
the exhibition.
Life Around Us: 1st place Petra Hahnová, volunteer of Charita Opava
Recycling and the Environment: 1st place Miloš Kolman, District Charity Žďár nad Sázavou
6
TAKE- BACK
2013
legend / text: lucie kettnerová / photo: asekol archivE
Radio brings news
to the most remote hamlets
There were times when only wealthier people and technical
enthusiasts owned radios. When the broadcast was on, people
from the neighbourhood would gather around the receiver and
listen to the incredible noises produced by the little box.
The invention of the radio receiver dates back to
the later part of the 19th century, when Welsh-American scientist David Edward Hughes managed
to transmit and receive signals using radio waves.
The year was 1879. The Royal Society did not recognise his attempt, however, and Hughes was so disappointed that he did not even publish the results
of his work. A patent for a radio system was not received until 1897 by the Italian Guglielmo Marconi,
who only used the radio for transmitting telegraph
codes. In 1901 he managed to send a signal across
the Atlantic Ocean.
The human voice was first transmitted five years
later on Christmas Eve by Reginald Aubrey Fessenden. Although his voice could only be heard by radio
A unique triumph
The third oldest radio receiver that ASEKOL
has in its collection was handed over for
recycling in Dvůr Králové nad Labem.
Fortunately, the unique Triumf Bali-brand
device from the company Telegrafia was
salvaged and underwent a complete
reconstruction. Telegrafia, a telephone
and telegraph factory, was founded in 1919
at the initiative of the Ministry of Posts
and Telegraphs and Živnobanka, with the
Government of Czechoslovakia owning
51% of its shares. Production was first started
in Roztoky u Prahy but was soon moved
to Pardubice in 1922, where it operated
until its nationalisation in 1946. The Triumf
Bali receiver was produced in 1936 and
1937 and was priced at that time at CZK
875. It is a single-circuit directly amplifying
receiver (SW, MW and LW) powered from
an alternating current system and fitted
with vacuum tubes AF7, AL4 and AZ1. The
glass scale is encased in a Bakelite frame,
and the dynamic speaker is equipped with
a permanent magnet. The device weighs 7 kg.
telegraphers, it was the first public radio
broadcast. During the broadcast, Fessenden
read an excerpt from the Gospel of St. Luke,
played the violin, and signed off by wishing a Merry Christmas to all. In 1907, music
from a gramophone record was broadcast over
700 km from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Czech Republic second only
to the BBC
Experiments in radio broadcasting
were performed in the Czech lands
before the First World War, and the
first radio show with spoken words
and music was broadcast on 28 October 1919 from the radiotelegraph
station at the Prague Petřín Observation Tower. Regular broadcasting started from a provisional tent in Prague-Kbely,
and the first words on
Czechoslovak Radio
were: ‘Hello, hello, this is
Radiojournal Prague. Dear
listeners, today, on 18 May
1923, you are listening to the
first regular broadcast…’ At
that time, of course, the only
competition was the BBC.
The famous crystal
radio
The first simple device that
could receive a radio signal was
the legendary crystal radio,
which was composed of a crystalline mineral touching a thin
metal wire. This device was
complemented by a coil and
earpiece, and the entire apparatus was earthed and connected to a long piece of wire
– the antenna.
7
topic of the issue / scrapyards
Scrapyards:
Environmentally
friendly or an
incentive to
criminality?
Good money can be obtained by exchanging metals
at a scrapyard. In their desire for such a financial
boost, however, many people commit theft, damage
the environment and perform other illegal activities.
The problem of purchasing of secondary materials is
more complicated than it may seem.
9
topic of the issue / scrapyards / text: Lukáš hrabal / Photo: asekol archive
The collection and purchase of metal waste from inhabitants has a long tradition in the Czech Republic. Its advantages are clear – it reduces the need to
mine raw materials (metal ores) and thereby generates economic savings. Unfortunately, this business
also has a dark side, as exemplified by the criminal activity performed primarily by those underprivileged in an attempt to make easy money. In addition to waste metal, various other metal products
as well as parts of electronic devices are subject to
countless thefts. Due to their incompleteness, such
devices then are no longer eligible for take-back.
Besides the appreciable financial losses for companies and municipal authorities, such thefts also pose
a general threat and risk of environmental damage.
I nspections by the CEI in 2012
A total of 383 inspections of legal and illegal collection facilities were performed in
2012, of which 45 were initiated by external
suggestion and 144 as part of an extraordinary action. For breaches discovered, the
CEI initiated 82 administrative proceedings and issued 79 rulings and 102 orders to
impose a fine. Lawful fines in 2012 totalled
CZK 6,174,000.
M
ost frequently detected breaches:
Operation of facility contrary to the approved operating rules.
Railroads – a prime target
Metal thieves especially favour railways. ‘In terms
of property stolen from us, the largest proportion
comes from parts of traction, communication and
security equipment such as copper cables, connectors, ropes and wires of the overhead lines,’ states
Miloslav Kolín, director of the Crisis Management
Division of state organisation Railway Infrastructure Administration (RIA). ‘Thefts of various parts
of technical devices made from non-ferrous metals also occur,’ he adds. Such activities cause interruptions in the continuity and safety of railway
operations.
RIA regards the issue of metal purchasing as a serious problem. ‘It is more than certain that the overwhelming majority of material stolen from us ends
up in scrapyards. Nevertheless, it is an almost su-
Purchase of waste without sufficient
identification of the selling party.
Purchase of waste constituting devices
of public benefit (e.g. manhole covers
or special screws from railway sleepers)
from an individual and providing cash
payment.
Insufficient recordkeeping on waste originating in scrapyards.
Failure to secure the waste from possible
leakage of dangerous substances into the
environment.
Purchasing of waste not permitted by the
operating rules.
perhuman endeavour to find out who sold the material there,’ notes Mr Kolín.
Strip and throw out
Another large problem is the illegal disassembly of
electronic devices and subsequent sale of selected
parts to scrapyards. In this case, the environment is
often damaged in the process, due, for example, to
leaks of coolant fluid from refrigerators or the establishment of illegal dumps where the remaining parts
are disposed. The costs related to removing illegal
dumps or stripped devices are of concern especially for municipalities, as confirms the mayor of Velký
Osek Pavel Drahovzal: ‘Illegal dumps of various sizes
arise throughout the year in municipalities depending on the size and segmentation of their cadastre. Removing such dumps costs anywhere from thousands
to hundreds of thousands of Czech crowns. These
dumps often contain incomplete devices which the
municipality then must remove at its own expense.’
The Central Bohemian town of Velký Osek thus has to
liquidate up to 50 electronic devices per year, and in
particular refrigerators without compressors and television sets without coils. The most affected regions
in this respect are those with the highest unemployment rates, i.e. the Moravian-Silesian and Ústí nad
Labem regions.
Scrapyard robberies
Pavel Drahovzal sees the basic problem in that the
scrapyards are not part of the communal waste management systems. ‘Scrapyards operate on the principle
of profitability. It is a classic enterprise, not a generally
beneficial and guaranteed system. Properly functioning scrapyards do, however, have established rules of
co-operation within municipalities and maintain records on the flow of purchased waste.’ But what does
the other side have to say on the topic? ‘The fact is
that the approaches of municipalities and local authorities to individual scrapyards in different parts of the
country vary greatly. The word “co-operation” sounds
idyllic, and it is a question of what one means by that.
We can of course eliminate criminal activities together
– that is, with the contribution of authorities involved
in criminal proceedings – but they must be willing,’
states, rather sceptically, Petr Miller, executive secretary of the Association of Secondary Material Collection Centres (Sdružení výkupen druhotných surovin,
SVDS). According to him, thefts even occur in the
scrapyards themselves – material already purchased,
and therefore the property of the purchaser, is lost.
Grilled electric motor, anyone?
Those that monitor scrapyards’ fulfilment of their legal
obligations have yet another view on this topic. In the
Czech Republic, monitoring is performed by the Czech
‘Gutted’ appliances represent a community problem and economic burden.
Compliance schemes, however, are not obliged for the take back.
10
TAKE- BACK
2013
Environmental Inspectorate (CEI) and Czech Trade Inspection Authority (CTIA). The CEI in particular has
long devoted great attention to regular inspections of
scrapyards. Based on its practical experience, for many
years it has warned that the system for handling collected products does not work as it is set up by law.
Skeletons of motor vehicles in various degrees of disassembly can be found practically in all such facilities.
Washing machines, refrigerator parts, electric motors,
stoves and other electronic waste also are often found
at the scrapyards. A number of scrapyards are entitled
to purchase electronic waste even though they are not
part of the take-back system.
‘Increasingly often we are discovering at scrap­
yards a device called a “grill” which is used for extracting non-ferrous metals from collected electrical devices. It consists of a metal barrel fitted with a grate on
which may be placed, for example, an electric motor
from a vacuum cleaner, and the bottom part is the furnace with holes drilled in it for air supply. By “grilling”
cables, motors and transmissions, they obtain copper,
aluminium, and from carburettors even zinc,’ states
the CEI's inspector Jitka Jenšovská, highlighting another negative phenomenon. The impact that the resulting release of harmful substances has on air quality
is obvious.
‘The real problem has slowly shifted from an environmental issue to a social issue, and not even the best
amendment to the Waste Act can resolve it all at once.
The main causes of this problem lie not only in the difficulty of enforcing waste or other environmental legislation, but particularly in the socio-economic situation of
some of our fellow citizens,’ Mrs Jenšovská adds.
Prohibition in the public’s interest
The problems are fairly well-known. The question that
will be contemplated by experts and discussed by representatives of all parties involved in secondary materials collection at the Take Back 2013 conference is:
‘What to do about it?’ The mayor of Velký Osek believes a change in legislation to allow scrapyards to operate with the consent of the municipality or a tightening of the conditions for obtaining authorisation to
operate a scrapyard are possible solutions. ‘There are
about 4,000 such facilities. That is too high a number
for anyone to monitor,’ Mr Drahovzal points out.
Attorney Jan Kořán, whose work also deals with
the legislation of waste management, offers a more
radical solution: a complete prohibition on purchasing metal waste from individual non-entrepreneurs.
In such case the municipality would be obliged to create conditions for the disposal of metal waste, and inhabitants would not be authorised to dispose of metal
waste anywhere other than at a municipal waste collection facility. ‘I think that the public interest in preventing criminal activities in the given area outweighs
the interest of those operating the facilities for collecting metal waste. German legislation, for example,
allows for taking public interest into account in providing permissions, and Austrian legislation expressly allows for the prohibition of waste purchasing,’ Mr
Kořán explains. In this respect, Slovakia is also ahead
of the Czech Republic; it has supplemented its waste
legislation with an extensive ban on the purchasing
of metal waste consisting, for example, of electric cables, components and parts of railway lines, rail vehicles and railway equipment as well as manhole covers.
The prohibition is applied if the waste displays even
any indication that it comes from such equipment and
products.
Utility
of electrotechnical waste
The composition of electrotechnical waste depends on a number of factors. The composition is most often stated as 40% metals (copper
is first, followed by iron), 30% plastics, and 30%
ceramics (silicon dioxide is highest, followed by
aluminium oxide). At present, from electrotechnical waste we are able to reuse, to varying degrees, ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminium, tin, lead, nickel, molybdenum),
rare metals (selenium, tellurium, indium, mercury, tantalum and tungsten), precious metals
(silver, gold, platinum and rhodium), pure homogenous plastics and glass. ‘Their use is only
possible through high-quality processing that
cannot be achieved under home conditions.
Therefore, we must ensure that the maximum
amount of secondary material resources are
put in the hands of professional processors and,
if possible, in complete condition, as this makes
it possible to ensure eco-friendly recycling and
liquidation of entire electronic devices,’ concludes Hana Ansorgová, Communications Manager of ASEKOL.
Record and archive
According to Mr Kořán, other possibilities for minimising the negative effects connected with purchasing include extending the prohibition on purchasing
metal waste to all products that are subject to takeback. ‘Today, such prohibition only applies to electronics, batteries and accumulators. I think it should
be extended to include auto wreckage as well.’
Stricter rules on maintaining a record of purchased waste, including its connection to the specific individual who turned in the waste, are also
worth considering. In this digital age, it should be
no problem to document every exchange of metal
waste along with the obligation to archive the record for a certain period of time. Other possible
steps for rectifying the current situation include introducing mandatory noncash payment (which is
used, for example, in the UK) or more frequent in-
spections of scrapyards and immediate revocat­
ion of licences if a breach of law is discovered. The
problems related to scrapyards are, apparently, not
beyond resolution. The political will to join our European neighbours, however, is still lacking.
Statistics on theft of non-ferrous metals on railroads
104
2013*
2012
1,122
1,760
32,751
2011
1,279
931
2010
556
2009
546
2008
Number of cases
46,786
39,216
25,368
22,737
Total damage in CZK thousands
* Dates to February 18th, 2013
11
asekol info / TEXT: Hana Jarešová / PHoto: profimedia
Solar panels – no longer
an environmental burden
Recycling of solar panels has long been a hot topic in Czech society.
In the eyes of the general public, the financial advantage of solar
energy has, in recent times, overshadowed the fact that still two
months after the act became effective no implementing regulation
that would put the entire process into practice has been adopted.
tions (approximately 18,000 licences of the 22,000
registered) and while the possible disposal of discarded solar panels outside of collection points poses
a greater danger, from a general perspective the future environmental burden is nevertheless minimal.
Due to the new legal regulation, non-functional
solar fields should no longer remain without disposal
or end up at a dump because their operators declare
bankruptcy. On the other hand, opponents of the act
warn that the accumulated funds must be depreciated over such a long time frame and yet their specific required amount may only be estimated at current
prices. In addition to the estimate of future costs, calculation of risk and settlement of funds also remain
key problems.
We have already approached this topic from various angles several times. The first time was in 2010
(TB No. 02/2010), when the first calls for a resolution
to the issue of disposing of end-of-life solar panels
were heard, as none yet existed at the time, even at
the European level. We reintroduced the topic more
broadly again last year (TB No. 02/2012), at which
time it was already clear what the future held for
solar panel operators.
Act No. 165/2012 Coll. governing the topic of supported energy sources and also addressing the Waste
Act in the area of photovoltaics became effective as
of 1 January 2013. The main benefit of the norm is the
establishment of so-called financial responsibility for
the future economic burden of disposing of discarded
solar installations, and in particular large installations
built in order to supply eco-friendly energy to the distribution network. Although panels on the roofs of
family houses represent the majority of all installa-
12
TAKE- BACK
2013
How and for how much?
Contributions attributed to the compliance scheme
will be used solely for the disposal of waste from
solar panels that have reached the end of their service lives or after termination of a solar power plant’s
operation. It remains unclear what volume of funds
is sufficient and therefore how high a contribution
producers should pay into the compliance schemes.
These aspects should be defined by an implementing regulation, which nevertheless still does not exist
two months after the act was adopted by the Czech
legislative system.
One solar panel per person
According to data from the Energy Regulatory Office, photovoltaic power plants with an output of
2 GW are currently installed in the Czech Republic.
In a 20–30 year horizon, it will therefore be necessary to ensure environmentally friendly liquidation of
190,000 tonnes of non-functional panels, which constitutes nearly 10 million panels.
The new situation in photovoltaics represents
a challenge for the ASEKOL compliance scheme. ‘Because solar panels have been classified as consumer electronics for recycling under group 4, the takeback of which we have traditionally provided, the
natural step was to establish an independent compliance scheme for solar panels,’ explains authorised representative Karel Krejsa regarding the foundation of the company ASEKOL Solar. He adds, ‘With
our long-standing experience in processing waste
electrical and electronic equipment and our extensive network of collection points and developed infrastructure, for potential clients we represent a valu­
able partner with low operating costs.’ Moreover,
the technology of processing solar panels is similar
to that for LCD screens, thus increasing the efficiency
of the entire process and providing considerable economic advantage.
The emergence of ASEKOL Solar as a subsidiary of
the ASEKOL compliance scheme was an initiative of
the scheme’s members, who are themselves producers of solar equipment and who regarded the insufficient regulation of their subsequent disposal as a fundamental problem.
Important dates
• Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council regulating responsibility for the treatment of waste
from solar panels took effect on 13 August
2012.
• Act No. 165/2012 Coll., on supported energy sources and on the amendment of certain acts, took effect on 1 January 2013.
Part four of this act amends the Waste Act
(No. 185/2001 Coll.).
• Producers and operators of solar installations are obliged to conclude a contract
with a compliance scheme by 30 June 2013.
• As from 1 January 2014, operators of solar
installations will be obliged to pay recycling
fees to the respective compliance scheme
or entity providing treatment of waste
from solar panels.
asekol info / text: Hana Jarešová / PHoto: Asekol archivE
Slovakia sorting according to European standards
Two years after its deadline for implementing Directive 2008/98/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council on waste into its legislation, Slovakia has managed to
avoid an impending penalty from the EU with the approval of Act No. 343/2012 Coll.
The original waste act was amended especially with
regard to its definitions and expansion of the obligations of waste holders. The real impact of the norm,
which took effect in January 2013, is the obligation of
entities handling waste to submit for review an agreement on treatment of waste to the state administration authorities on waste management by mid-year.
Upon implementation of the amendment into practice, primary emphasis should be placed on preventing the generation of waste and reducing its adverse
impacts on the environment. The main objective
should continue to be the use of waste as a source of
secondary materials.
Beyond the scope of requirements from the European directive, the act was supplemented by a ban on
the purchase of non-ferrous metal waste and manhole covers. With this provision, the result of which
will be complete restriction on the purchase of products most likely acquired illegally, Slovakia took another step ahead of the Czech Republic in resolving
this problem. Previously, scrapyards were able to collect such products, but only from contractually registered entities.
How ASEKOL collects in Slovakia
Of course, the new obligations ensuing from the
amendment must be fulfilled also by ASEKOL SK. After
two years of operating in Slovakia, it has built a strong
and stable position, having collected and disposed of
more than 3,600 tonnes of waste through its collection network last year. In the category of consumer
electronics, ASEKOL accounts for 68% of all collected
appliances. Computer monitors and television screens
comprised the largest volume with 50% of the total
collection, followed by refrigerators and large household appliances with 32%. Thanks to ASEKOL, more
than 2,000 locations for disposal of old electrical and
electronic equipment were available to the inhabitants of Slovakia for the entire year. Their accessibility was further boosted by another 2,000 collection
receptacles.
ASEKOL SK compliance scheme
• Non-profit company.
• Shareholders – ASEKOL s.r.o.,
Mascom s. r. o. and FAST PLUS spol. s r.o.
• Provides services for all ten groups of EEE,
batteries and accumulators, plus pack­
aging.
• Its client base quadrupled in 2012, led by
the brands Panasonic, LG and Samsung.
ASEKOL Fund will disburse grants for the sixth time
Evaluation of applications for ASEKOL Fund’s sixth grant
procedure is currently underway.
The nine-member Council of the ASEKOL Fund, consisting of representatives of ASEKOL, the Union of
Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic,
producers, professional associations and the media,
will choose from projects classified under the programmes Intensity, Reconstruction and Awareness.
‘Organising the procedure according to thematic areas focused on public awareness, expansion
and reconstruction of collection points guarantees
that the fund will help in different areas of electrical
and electronic equipment collection,’ says Vojtěch
Smoter, ASEKOL’s Collection Network Coordinator.
Successful applicants will be announced in May,
and all selected projects must be completed by the
end of 2013. Last year, the ASEKOL Fund helped implement 45 publicly beneficial projects with a total
sum of CZK 2 million. A total of 73 municipalities,
non-governmental non-profit organisations, operators of collection yards, as well as such institutions
as Charles University and the Academy of Science of
the Czech Republic have applied for grants. The most
common areas in which the grants provide assistance
is in the installation of security for collection yards,
reconstruction of container stands, and promotion of
take-back in the form of leaflets and competitions.
During its operation, the ASEKOL Fund has contributed to 194 projects providing total financial aid of almost CZK 13 million.
Announced programmes:
Intensity – The objective is to create or increase the number of collection points in a
specific area or to improve their accessibility.
Reconstruction – Focused on the quality of
collection points in terms of increasing their
capacity, their reconstruction, or improvement of their equipment.
Awareness – Aimed at promoting education
and public awareness in the area of takeback and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment.
13
asekol info / TEXT: Hana Šebelová / PHoto: asekol archivE
Processing of discarded electro
according to European standards
Preparations for opening the European headquarters in Prague and the first test audits of processors
according to the WEEELABEX European standards for handling waste electrical and electronic
equipment are the current results of ASEKOL’s active participation in the international field.
Vrba, Managing Director of ASEKOL. He adds: ‘ASEKOL
was one of the few schemes from Central and Eastern Europe to participate in preparing the standards
from the very beginning. We were responsible for setting up specific requirements for equipment with CRT
screens.’
The Supervisory Board will handle the strategic
direction of the standards and establishment of the
WEEELABEX limits. These limits relate to the values
that companies must maintain in the WEEE treatment process and which may change over time
as the composition of newly produced electronic
equipment develops.
Martin Fišer was a member of the WEEELABEX working
group for the category of devices with a CRT screen.
The four-year process of institutionalisation of the
WEEELABEX European quality standards, which address the requirements for collection, transport and
processing of waste electrical and electronic equipment under the WEEE Forum association, is now
reaching its climax. The European headquarters of
the WEEELABEX Office is due to open in Prague on
1 April 2013. Its main task is to manage the implementation of the standards into practice throughout Europe. In addition to training and certification
of auditors, the manager of the Prague office will also
grant or rescind certificates for processors across Europe on the basis of statistics on the results of audits
from the individual countries. The first 20 trained auditors are now participating in preparations to commence live inspections.
‘Almost all compliance schemes from the so-called
Eastern Bloc have contributed towards having the
WEELABEX Office’s headquarters based in the Czech
Republic. Prague was shortlisted along with Dublin,
Ireland, but in the end the need to accentuate the
importance of high-quality processing of discarded
electronics in Eastern Europe was decisive,’ says Jan
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TAKE- BACK
2013
Test audits
Given that the compliance schemes of newly admitted EU countries (including the Czech Republic)
will be obliged according to WEEELABEX requirements to co-operate only with audited processors
as of the start of 2015, the first pilot audits of two
ASEKOL processors may be regarded as further tangible results of the activities in this area. The purpose of these trial inspections was primarily to test
the entire auditing process from the perspective of
both the auditors and processors.
The auditors focused not only on fulfilment of requirements in the individual parts of the process of
treating CRT equipment, but also on the issues of
work safety and environmental protection. Although
ASEKOL is planning to have two certified auditors
among its experts, in order to maintain objectivity the
services of external inspectors were also used.
Room for improvement
The results of the test inspection clearly indicate that
the established limit values for residual amounts of
CRT glass were fulfilled with one exception – the sample of electron guns, in which the content of CRT glass
surpassed the established values. The reason lay mainly in the method of processing the screens, as at this
phase the cone-shaped part of the screen is manually cut off along with part of the neck and thus the remaining amount of CRT glass in the electron guns is
relatively high. ‘Fortunately we have discovered that
the current limit is too low and difficult to achieve in
practice, and therefore a proposal for an adjustment
was submitted on the basis of this audit,’ explains Martin Fišer, highlighting the benefit of test audits in developing the standards. Mr Fišer has been nominated to the WEEELABEX Board of Directors, which will
be decided in April in Prague. The limits were not surpassed in the other monitored categories, i.e. ferrous
fractions and deflection coils.
A situation in which part of a screen is broken manually for a profit-seeking purpose without removing
the luminophore from the shadow mask could pose
a risk to the environment and the health of employees. The luminophore, with its toxic content, could
be released into the environment. ‘In highlighting this
problem the test audits thereby resulted in the first
step towards its resolution,’ Mr Fišer adds.
Possible errors were also indicated by an examination of work safety and the related impacts on the environment. The audit found several serious discrepancies with the WEEELABEX standards, especially in the
area of processing and storage of WEEE, protection of
employees and their insufficient knowledge of potential risks and insufficient performance of batch tests,
and thus also in the weight balance of the individual
outputs from the treatment process. This area could
represent a future stumbling block in granting certifications to individual processors.
WEEELABEX has successfully set up common takeback criteria with the objective of achieving high quality in the treatment process. It is now necessary to put
them into practice in the agreed term and with the required quality.
The project was established with financial support from the EU programme Life+. The complete documentation of the standard is available at WEEE Forum’s official website under the
WEEELABEX section.
www.weee-forum.org/weeelabexproject
lifestyle / blind alleys of technology / text: Petr Holeček / Photo: profimedia
Kin did not conquer Facebook
Microsoft will probably not showcase this project. For several years a large team was
working to develop a touch-screen phone that would cause a revolution in how we use social
networks. The company spent almost CZK 5 billion on developing two types of the Kin phone.
The revolution did not happen, however, and the Kin project became the flop of the decade.
ly and other­wise successful Microsoft ZUNE HD, unfortunately only a multimedia player with the looks of
a phone, to which they could add telephone and other
smart funct­ions and it would be much more interesting?’ asked Jan Stach, technology expert, in his review.
Mr Stach quite poignantly points out one of the main
reasons for the failure.
Although the telephone looked like a smartphone,
it was anything but. Many excited new owners were
unpleasantly surprised when they found out that
their new digital friend could not install even the simplest and most common applications such as instant
messengers like ICQ or Skype. Other drawbacks also
spelt the end for the Kin, such as its small memory and rather poor camera. Not to mention that the
display was so small that one had to constantly and
vigor­ously scroll through the screen with Facebook
to reach any­thing.
It is a paradox. In Europe, only a few people own the
Kin One and Kin Two phones, and probably only diehard fans of Microsoft. With only slight exaggeration,
however, they can be considered the most expensive
mobiles in the world, considering that the process
from the initial idea to introduction on the market in
2010 cost a quarter of a billion dollars.
Mobiles for a few hundred people
The Kin phones never reached European stores.
Only in the US did they even do poorly, sold by Verizon for a subsidised price of USD 50 and 100, respectively, and later for even less. Microsoft halted sales
of these strange gadgets six weeks later. Results were
that weak. In the same period, Apple sold two million
iPhone 4s per week. According to the most pessimistic estimates, Microsoft sold about 500 of its “knockout” Kin, although this figure cannot be taken too seriously. A more credible number of less than 9,000 is
based on the number of users of the Facebook app designed only for Kin. There were 8,810 users.
They knew it would flop
These Microsoft devices were meant to take over from
the fading Windows Mobile system. Late last year,
however, videos surfaced on the internet showing
that Microsoft knew very well that it would sell almost
non-functional devices. The videos are from late 2009
when testing was being conducted. The final prototypes given to testers were practically identical to the
ones sold. It is no wonder, then, that reviewers were
merciless in their criticism of the phones’ functions.
One overriding example can be found on Youtube. In
a certain video you can watch the struggle of a user
trying to dial a phone number. At first, the Kin does
not respond at all and then tries vigorously to make up
for everything the user wants. Microsoft knew about
these problems, saw the videos from the testers, and
released them for sale regardless.
Is it a smartphone or not?
What went wrong? A small touch phone with a hardware slide-out keyboard primarily targeted toward
social media is not a bad idea. The gadget was original, but Microsoft failed in everything else. It could
not create an aura of exceptionality as Apple has done
with its products. Moreover, many customers were
turned off by the high price. ‘I never understood the
Kin. Why would Microsoft create something so targeted when it already had the relatively technical-
Santa Claus couldn’t save it
The Kin messenger project was one of the biggest
flops of 2010, but it seems that this fiasco was not
enough for the Colossus of Redmond as it attempted to forget the hundreds of thousands of dollars lost
and to revive the project. In the pre-Christmas period of 2010, Microsoft put the phones back up for sale.
With only one significant change: in the first cycle,
the sale of both Kins was conditioned by activation of
a data tariff, but leading up to Christmas the operator
no longer required activation. Most data traffic could
be realised via Wi-Fi. Not even this strategy could prolong the fleeting lives of the two Kins.
The first Czech smartphone
The first Czech smartphone, Verzo Kinzo, also
had an inglorious end, having entered the
Czech market at the end of 2011 with large ambitions. Its goal was to offer users the feeling of luxury and broad range of accessories in
a basic package at a price similar to the competition. The Kinzo commenced sales two
years ago at CZK 10,489, competing in terms of
its accessories and price with the Sony Ericsson
Xperia Arc and HTC Incredible S. Its fall, however, has been steep. Last year it was being sold
at a discounted CZK 2,800.
15
asekol info / text: Hana Jarešová / PHoto: asekol archivE
Rare earth metals – how to
achieve self-sufficiency
In addition to the primary aim of liquidating toxic materials, the acquisition of materials that have
considerable value and are irreplaceable in manufacturing other products is increasingly important in the
process of recycling electrical and electronic equipment. Such materials include rare earth metals (REM),
which have been in greater decline recently. Significant attention is also dedicated to this topic in the
programme for the Take Back 2013 conference.
What are rare earth metals and why are
they so important?
While the presence of such elements as lanthanum,
praseodymium, europium and lutetium affect life all
around us, we probably don’t remember them from
our chemistry lessons. These elements are part of the
group jointly referred to as lanthanides, which along
with yttrium and scandium represent very important
and currently highly valued rare earth metals.
Their consumption in our modern, high-tech society has significantly increased in recent years, even
though in most products they are represented in
only trace amounts. Nevertheless, they are applied in
a number of fields and activities such as metallurgy,
glass-making, nuclear energy, oil and the automotive
industry (e.g. in the production of electric and hybrid
vehicles). They are necessary also for the production of consumer electronics (especially tablets and
smartphones), but also for other products such as
accumulators, permanent magnets and lasers, energy saving fluorescent lamps and batteries. Rare earth
metals also have strategic importance in the arms industry. There they are indispensable in the production of components for guided munitions and space
satellites and are also used in communications and
radar technologies and night vision systems.
Strategic materials
Access to these elements, however, is not simple.
Complications arise especially due to the fact that
One kilogramme of yttrium is currently valued at USD 120, i.e. about CZK 2,400. The
same amount of europium is worth up to
USD 2,150, i.e. approximately CZK 43,000
(source: http://mineralprices.com). If one
tele­vision with a CRT screen contains an average of 0.75 g of yttrium, we can easily determine that it is necessary to process 1,333
screens to obtain 1 kg of this material.
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Rare earth metals on the world scale
Others
36.04 %
India Malaysia USA
Australia
2.56 % 0.32 % 6.4 %
3.65 %
USA
11.43 % Australia
1.41 %
Brazil
0.03 %
REM resources
Malaysia
0.03 % India
2.72 %
95% of the production of these valuable materials is
in the hands of China, which is negatively reflected
in a nearly monopolistic pricing policy and formation
of dependence on this politically unstable partner. In
2010, for example, when China significantly limited
its exports of rare earth metals and prices dramatically increased, it was clear to economists that the
main reason for limiting the extraction was not the
depletion of deposits or fears of possible negative
impacts on the environment. The purely economic motive was in fact an attempt to recast the valuable re­sources into the country’s own final production,
which has a greater value on the world market than
the sale of raw REMs.
It is thus no wonder that in such a situation where
demand starts to exceed supply and the strategic reserves of these materials are concentrated in the
hands of a single owner, the pressure for extraction of REMs from secondary sources continues to
increase. For Western countries, having almost zero
extractable deposits of these elements, the only solution is to obtain them through recycling. Considering that rare earth elements occur in WEEE in various
forms, whether as oxides or as metals, their extraction constitutes a complicated process and is the subject of a number of research projects.
Displays and lights as potential sources
of REMs
There are a number of secondary sources of rare
earth metals. Energy saving (fluorescent) lamps have
the highest potential, containing up to five times
more REMs than, for example, the luminophore in
classic CRT television and computer displays. While
the technology for obtaining rare earth elements
from CRT displays is not yet functional in practice
in the Czech Republic, the high content of REMs in
lighting is very interesting for processing companies.
In this case, however, they run in to the problem of
how to remove poisonous mercury from the lamps.
Other important sources include nickel-metal hydride
(NiMH) batteries and accumulators, as well as high-
Brazil
0.27 %
REM production
China
48.34 %
China
86.8 %
Source: USGS.gov, 2012
intensity permanent magnets found in computers
and in new types of quiet and powerful electric motors such as in trams, refrigerators and wind turbines.
The processing of CRT displays and lamps requires
removal of a layer of luminophores from their glass
parts, mainly in order to remove the toxic elements
of the product, but also to improve the quality and
resulting purity of the glass output.
Research within the WEEE Forum
association
The topic of rare earth metals was examined from
this perspective by a project in which ASEKOL addressed the use of REMs as an indicator of the
level of luminophore removal from CRT displays
for the purposes of WEEE Forum’s European-wide
WEEELABEX standard. Martin Fišer, Treatment Manager of the ASEKOL compliance scheme, who headed the research, explains: ‘The technology of processing CRT displays from classic TV sets mainly involves
the removal of the luminophore, which is classified as
dangerous waste. The yttrium it contains appeared to
be the best indicator for chemical determination of
the presence of the luminophore on the glass of the
so-called shadow mask of the display.’
Nevertheless, the research results ultimately indicated that the remaining content of yttrium on the
surface of the glass cannot be determined unequivocally. An alternative solution of determining the level
of luminophore removal from the screen in processing CRT displays was found by establishing the remaining content of sulphur on the screen glass. This
method, however, will only be introduced into practice through strict implementation by processor audits within the framework of the WEEELABEX standards (more information in the article on page 14),
which must be introduced in the Czech Republic by
the end of 2014.
The issue of processing and recycling WEEE in
connection with the use of rare earth metals is truly
a complex and topical problem, which will become
increasingly important with the development of new
technologies and lightweight products. According to
Václav Gruber, from the Institute of Chemical Process
Fundamentals of the Academy of Sciences of the
Czech Republic, which owns the patent on the extraction of rare earth elements from CRT luminophores
and who will appear at the Take Back 2013 conference to give a lecture on recycling europium and yttrium from displays and lamps, the extraction of valuable by-products in the form of REMs can significantly
improve the economy of recycling such waste.
What are luminophores?
Luminophores are chemical compounds capable of absorbing energy and then emitting it in the form of light (so-called luminescence). They transform radiation from the
cathode ray tube in a classic glass screen into
visible light of a certain colour. A combination of three basic colours comprises a colour
picture. In energy saving lamps and discharge
tubes, the luminophore layer transforms the
energy of an electric discharge into white
light very similar to daylight. Due to the content of heavy metals, they are harmful toxic
substances.
(source: Wikipedia)
17
ecobat
Ecobat Celebrates 10 Years
on the Market
The first ten years in a human’s life are not regarded as a long time: all of life’s important events
usually still lie before him. In waste management, however, ten years comprise a remarkable
period of time because the modern history of Czech waste management began only recently
– 22 years ago, when the Czechoslovakian Parliament passed the first Waste Management
Act. Just over ten years ago, six leading battery manufacturers founded Ecobat and the first
143 kg of spent batteries were collected on October 3, 2002.
Of course, Ecobat was not the first company to initiate collection and recycling of spent batteries in
the Czech Republic. We pay tribute to several pioneers who set up local collection schemes for spent
batteries (Semily, Žďár nad Sázavou) in the 1990s
or who tried to develop original recycling technology (Institute of Raw Materials Kutná Hora, Palaba Slaný, Ekoing Prague, Livia). Unfortunately, at
that time there was no solid legislative framework
which would have generated financial resources
for their work. After discovering that portable battery recycling is not a profitable business, the Czech
government implemented extended producer responsibility for batteries – including obligations to
set up and fund collection and recycling and to implement public awareness campaigns.
Today, Ecobat belongs to a large family of environmental compliance organizations in the Czech
Republic. We are still the smallest company with
the smallest turnover and the smallest number of
employees. It is proportional to the market volume (compare 3,000 tonnes of portable batteries
to 200,000 tonnes of electronics). Even the size of
an AA cell cannot be compared to a PET bottle, refrigerator or vending machine. Although we might
envision a much higher budget for massive public
awareness campaigns or investment in a fully automated sorting line, we are not complaining. On
the contrary, we believe that we have a solid work
record behind us, which is demonstrated e.g. by
the fact that we achieved the mandatory EU collection target (25%) one year ahead of schedule and
in 2012 we were close to 30%.
I am pleased that in addition to collecting spent
batteries (921 tonnes in 2012), we also sort and
recycle them. I am delighted that in the last two
years we have been able to promote the concept
of battery recycling in the mass media with a stylish small collection box named “Ecocheese”. I am
proud that we are one of three companies which
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TAKE- BACK
2013
launched “Recyclegame”, a successful environmental programme with more than 3,000 participating schools. And I am always happy to find our
collection box in even a small remote village when
hiking or cycling in the countryside.
Space constraints prevent me from listing every­
one who has supported us in our efforts or cooperated and contributed to our battery take back
project – many with great enthusiasm – but let me
take this opportunity to express my acknowledgement and great respect for the work of each and
every one of you.
Petr Kratochvíl, Managing Director
2003
128
2005
138
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
3,399tonnes of batteries put
on the market
921
tonnes of batteries collected
29% collection rate
16,800 collection points
688 clients/producers
Batteries Collected in 2003–2012
70
2004
2006
Ecobat Key Figures for 2012
184
264
331
386
458
768
921
(in tonnes)
Ecobat Goes International
As collection and recycling of spent portable batteries is a highly specialized
activity, international exchange of experience and information is very
important to Ecobat and is an integral part of our agenda.
A few minutes before
Technical Group Meeting
of Eucobat
(December 2012, Brussels)
Shortly after its founding, Ecobat became an associate member of the European Portable Battery
Association. The EPBA is the leading organization
representing the interests of primary and rechargeable portable battery manufacturers, industries
using portable batteries in their products and distributors of portable batteries active within the European Union, and beyond. The EPBA is regarded
as an important stakeholder by EU authorities and
therefore is very active in legal processes concerning battery environmental issues. Ecobat has regularly participated in Operations Working Groups.
The following companies are members of the EPBA:
• Cegasa International SA
• Procter & Gamble International Operations
• Energizer SA
• GP Batteries Europe B.V.
• EASTMAN KODAK Company
• PANASONIC Energy Europe N.V.
• RENATA AG
• SONY France S.A
• SYSTEMS SUNLIGHT S.A.
• VARTA Consumer Batteries
Since 1997 experts from our field have gathered
each year at the International Battery Recycling
Congress, organized by the Swiss organization ICM.
The next event will be held in Dubrovnik, Croatia on
September 11–13, 2013. Ecobat has shared its experience by giving lectures and making presentations
at the following events:
• Vienna 2002: Collection and recycling of spent
batteries in the Czech Republic
• Interlaken 2006: Development and status of the
battery collection law and operations in the Czech
Republic
• Toronto 2009: A case study of cooperation between battery and WEEE collective schemes in
the Czech Republic
In 2010 Ecobat took part in the Aid for Trade project organized by the Czech Ministry of Industry and
Trade. The project was focused on Bosnia and Herzegovina. We shared our experience with development of a battery compliance scheme during specialized workshops and excursions in Sarajevo and
Prague.
In early 2013, Ecobat was accepted as a regular
member of Eucobat – the European association of
national collection schemes for batteries. The main
mission of Eucobat is to assure that all waste batteries are collected and recycled in an ecologically
sound way, and contribute in this way to a better
environment. Current members of Eucobat include:
• ARN (the Netherlands)
• Bebat (Belgium)
• Ecobat (the Czech Republic)
• Ecopilas (Spain)
• Ecopilhas (Portugal)
• Elretur (Denmark)
• GRS (Germany)
• Screlec (France)
• SNRB (Romania)
• Stibat (the Netherlands)
• Reba (Poland)
• Rescer Oy (Finland)
• Rebatt (Norway)
• WEEE Ireland
In 2011 Eucobat members represented 3.2 billion
portable batteries put on the market and collected
28,539 tonnes of spent portable batteries. ‘Today,
safety during collection operations is our highest priority,’ pointed out Peter Binnemans, Secretary General of Eucobat. ‘That’s why we worked
out and published detailed Safety Advisory Notes
for our members and why we are very concerned
about ADR transportation rules.’
19
ASEKOL Solar s.r.o.
compliance scheme for take back of
solar panels
www.asekolsolar.cz