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Serbia has struggled with obstacles for many years in its packaging waste management system. According to an analysis by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Regulation on Determining Packaging Waste Reduction Plan for the period from 2020 to 2024 didn’t provide the desired results. That’s why the government changed the national reuse and recycling targets stipulated by the decree and introduced recycling targets for municipal packaging waste. In addition, it rolled out a new Rulebook on forms for reporting on managing packaging and packaging waste.
All materials that products are packed and wrapped in and the ones used to protect the products in transportation from the producer to the consumer become packaging waste after they are used.
Serbia adopted the Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste, introducing the system of extended responsibility of producers. It stipulates that economic entities placing products with packaging on the market are obligated to include the costs of collecting and processing the packaging in the product price.
The law introduced the principle that the polluter pays
Producers are also obligated to pay the surcharge, for each ton of packaging placed on the market, into the budget or to the authorized operators in the packaging waste management system with which they have contracts. In simpler terms, the law introduced the principle that the polluter pays.
Eight operators have permits to manage packaging waste in Serbia: Sekopak, Ekostar pak, Deltapak, Ceneks, Tehno eko pak, Ekopak sistem, Uni eko pak and Interzero pak.
Goals in recycling packaging waste were achieved – but not desired results
The overall and specific packaging waste recycling goals are regulated by the Regulation on Determining Packaging Waste Reduction Plan for a five-year period. The general targets defined by the plan are to reuse and recycle packaging waste at a percentage defined for each year.
The specific goals are the shares of recycling for packaging made of paper and cardboard, plastics, glass, metals and wood, and they are also determined for each year.
According to data from the Serbian Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), a total of 401,229.5 tons of packaging was placed in the market in Serbia in 2022. Legal entities and entrepreneurs that transferred their obligations to operators participated with 399,906 tons.
The amount of reused packaging waste is 256,125.5 tons. Within the total, 244,099.4 tons of packaging waste was recycled. When we translate the numbers into percentages, we can conclude that the general and specific targets stipulated in the plan have been fulfilled, of which 64% for reusing packaging waste and 61% for recycling.
However, this year the Government of Serbia adopted changes to the decree. Balkan Green Energy News spoke to State Secretary in the Ministry of Environmental Protection Sandra Dokić about the reasons and the changes themselves.
Why was the regulation amended? What were the old one’s shortcomings?
Based on an analysis of the entire system, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has determined that the stipulated targets didn’t bring the desired results with regard to the collection of municipal packaging waste as well as household waste.
The system operators didn’t invest enough in the development of the collection infrastructure for municipal packaging waste, despite the fact that they were legally obligated to do so.
It practically means that even though it’s been 14 years since the introduction of the Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste, the citizens of Serbia haven’t been fully enabled to separate packaging waste that can be used to make new products or generate energy.
That is why on October 26, 2023, the government adopted the changes to the Regulation on Determining Packaging Waste Reduction Plan for the period from 2020 to 2024.
What is the effect of the amendments to the regulation?
The national goals for reusing and recycling for 2024 have been changed while the goals for recycling municipal packaging waste were introduced for the first time.
Why were special goals introduced for recycling the packaging from municipal waste?
The changes detailed the obligations regarding the targets for recycling municipal packaging waste, which includes all packaging that ends up in municipal waste from households but also the hospitality industry as well as smaller shops or other commercial activities.
This measure is aimed at stimulating system operators to cooperate with municipal waste management firms while discouraging purchases from natural persons, which obtain their quantities mostly by illegally taking waste from bins owned by the utilities.
Do you think that the changes will improve the authorized system operators’ cooperation with waste management firms?
The targets for municipal packaging waste that were adopted for this year, in agreement with all operators, are realistic and achievable. The idea is to make them more ambitious every year to facilitate more significant financial investments and greater support from the authorized system operators for the efforts of the ministry, local authorities and waste management firms to reduce the rates of packaging waste that is landfilled and ending up in the environment and to enable an increase in its use as a resource for making new products or producing energy.
The new Regulation on Determining Packaging Waste Reduction Plan includes specific goals for 2024 for system operators so that they can collect, in cooperation with waste management enterprises, at least 10% of waste cardboard and paper, 8% of plastic waste, 15% of glass packaging as well as 1% of metal packaging.
Another novelty is Rulebook on forms for reporting on managing packaging and packaging waste
A new Rulebook on forms for reporting on managing packaging and packaging waste was recently passed as well. We spoke about the rulebook and the novelties that it brings with Kristina Cvejanov, a waste management and recycling expert who took part in the consultation process.
What novelties does the rulebook bring?
With the new rulebook, the Ministry of Environmental Protection will improve reporting and establish a base for the introduction of eco-modulation. Eco-modulation is a financial mechanism within which companies that place packaging on the market pay a surcharge. The sum depends on how well it is designed for cost-effective recycling.
The ones that place packaging on the market need to take full financial responsibility for their packaging. If it’s not possible or not cost-effective to collect and recycle it, they are the ones who need to pay for using it to produce energy instead of ending up landfilled or in the environment.
What are the positive outcomes of amending the Rulebook on forms for reporting on managing packaging and packaging waste?
For a start, economic entities placing packaging on the market learn what kind of packaging it is and what its environmental impact is. The experiences from the consultations with companies that the Ministry of Environmental Protection conducted during last year show that even the companies themselves lack knowledge about their packaging as regards recycling possibilities. It is notable that not enough educated people are being hired by companies to appropriately manage the packaging placed on the market.
Cvejanov: Lack of knowledge and capacity is a great obstacle
The lack of knowledge and capacity is a great obstacle, but this rulebook will make economic entities improve both. Without a doubt, in perspective, it will enable employing more specialists in the areas of technology or environmental protection. But it is only the start.
The development of the eco-modulation system through the planned changes to the Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste will enable bigger investments in the packaging waste management system and for landfilling to be reduced. The ultimate goal for all packaging waste in Serbia, instead of landfilling or irresponsibly leaving it in nature, is to utilize it to make new products or generate energy.
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