Extended Producer Responsibility:
ASCON TAKE-BACK AND
RECYCLING SYSTEMS
ECOLOGICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY
BALANCED RECYCLING
AGROcycle
AUTOMOTIVEcycle
PHARMAcycle
The EPR system for agricultural foils and plastic
packaging from agriculture
The EPR system for the
automotive industry
The EPR system for expired
medications and health care
sector packaging
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
SHORT PRESENTATION
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ASCON Resource Management Corporation
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ASCON Gesellschaft für Abfall und
Sekundärrohstoff Consulting mbH
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ASCON Resource Management Holding GmbH
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ASCON Take-Back and Recycling Systems
The background
The idea
The advantages
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AGROcycle
The concept
The collection
The system process
The recyclable materials cycle
The system partners
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Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
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AUTOMOTIVEcycle
The concept
The collection
The system process
The recyclable materials cycle
The system partners
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Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
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PHARMAcycle
The disposal of expired medications
The concept
The implementation
The collection
The system process
The recyclable materials cycle
Safe destruction of expired medications
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Page 16
Page 16
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
BRIEF PRESENTATION
ASCON Resource Management Corporation:
Reliable EPR Services for the U.S. Market
ASCON Resource Management Corporation is a new company founded in the United States
in 2016. Object of the company are
• the implementation, organization and operation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
systems as well as all its business areas in the United States
• the organization of the return of different material streams for recycling to own or
third-party sites in the United States
• consulting and supervision of internationally active American companies to meet their
packaging-legal obligations of the European Union
U.S. ASCON Resource Management
Corporation is a daughter company of German
based ASCON Resource Management Holding
GmbH, a group of companies within the closed
circular economy. The core target of ASCON
Holding is to close material loops in order to
enforce EPR and to practice EPR with our
clients. ASCON Resource Management
Corporation will implement and operate take-
back and recycling systems for e. g. old
pharmaceuticals and agricultural foils in order
to handle material streams in a sustainable way.
Our business activities in the U.S. are based on
the expert knowledge of ASCON GmbH and its
successful EPR business operations in Germany
since the year 2000 which we gladly present
on the following pages.
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BRIEF PRESENTATION
ASCON Gesellschaft für Abfall und
Sekundärrohstoff Consulting mbH
• Comprehensive environmental, waste and recycling
consulting services
• Sustainable material flow management
• Recycling of secondary raw materials
THE COMPANY
ASCON Gesellschaft für Abfall und Sekundärrohstoff Consulting mbH was founded in
Germany in 2000 as an internationally-oriented consulting company offering comprehensive environmental, waste and recycling consulting services.
Objective- and project-oriented consulting in:
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Commercial and household waste collection
Efficient recovery of secondary raw materials
Worldwide market development of innovative sorting and treatment technologies
Implementation of the pertinent environmental legislation in each case
Support of international waste management projects and studies in Iraq, Jordan,
Thailand, Pakistan, India, Vietnam and the U.S.
BRIEF PRESENTATION
OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES
Consulting & projects
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More than 20 years of experience in German and international waste management
and environmental policy
Development and implementation of operational collection and recycling systems
Development of domestic and international independent collection and delivery
systems for homogenous and heterogeneous waste
Consulting services for European Commission organizations
Feasibility studies for collection and recycling systems
Creation of data-based volume flow systems
Material flow management + recycling of secondary raw materials
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Objective: holistic material flow management
Development of strategies
Organization of the operational value chain from take-back and processing all the
way to the recovery of secondary raw materials (on-site disposal)
Own nationwide logistics centers in strategic locations in Bonn, Nuremberg,
Dresden and Berlin
Compliance with legal and social stipulations through strict quality requirements
EPR take-back and recycling systems
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AGROcycle – system disposal for foils, canisters, tires and packaging of the
agricultural industry
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AUTOMOTIVEcycle – the take-back and recycling system for the automobile
industry
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PHARMAcycle – the take-back system for expired medications and packaging
from pharmacies, medical offices, hospitals and health care sector companies
Mitglied im BVSE
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ASCON Holding
ASCON Resource Management Holding GmbH
• ASCON Resorce Management Corporation is a member of ASCON Resource
Management Holding GmbH
• The holding is a recycling management company whose portfolio includes
consulting, services and expert knowledge in all environmentally-, waste- and
recycling-related fields
• Objective: economically and ecologically balanced environmental and waste
management, running of EPR systems
• Sustainable overall concept pertaining to the take-back, sorting and recycling of
recyclables – everything from one single source
• Support of the individual business fields and utilization of synergies by strategically
combining the companies into a holding – to the advantage of our customers
THE COMPANIES OF THE HOLDING
ASCON Gesellschaft für Abfall und Sekundärrohstoff Consulting mbH
ASCON Resource Management Corporation I
ELS Europäische LizenzierungsSysteme GmbH I ELS Austria GmbH
EUPVcycle GmbH I SORTcycle GmbH
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I
ASCON GmbH
ASCON EPR Take-Back and Recycling Systems
THE BACKGROUND
• For many years, Germany lacked an independent disposal structure for various industrial sectors such as agriculture, the automobile industry and also heath care companies
• Increase of disposal prices for this industrial sector
➤ Contrary to the general trend in waste management, the separated, taken back
materials from industrial sectors are more economically disposed of
• Justification: contaminations, adherences and possibly critical contents of the
waste that make recycling harder in many cases
• Foils and other materials are therefore often recycled only thermally
➤ No sustainable use with raw materials because foils, in particular, are valuable
secondary raw materials
THE IDEA
• Economical: collection and recycling are a lot more economical than incineration
• Ecological: valuable recycling is much more sustainable than incineration; further
processing of the foils to re-granulates for use in new products
• To ensure quality standards, ASCON lets the TÜV certify the volume flow
➜ With its cooperation partners, ASCON offers comprehensive recycling of all collected waste, thus making a sustainable ecological contribution for favorable terms in
collaboration with industrial partners
• Compliance with European and German legislative requirements through:
➤ The fundamental recycling of materials
➤ The use of non-recycling materials in the
cement industry, e.g. old tires
THE ADVANTAGES
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Continuous disposal for members
Recycling of all collected materials and waste
Competitive through common determination of collection costs
No contractually fixed terms
Recycling safety through an expert-certified volume flow
professional
ecological
economical
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AGROcycle
AGROcycle – The EPR take-back and
recycling system for agricultural foils and
plastic packaging from agriculture
• In 2008, ASCON develops its own nationwide take-back system for agricultural
foils and packaging from agriculture: AGROcycle
• AGROcycle is the ASCON concept for taking back and recycling agricultural foils
and packaging
• The service: ASCON
➤ Assumes full handling directly at the farm
➤ Ensures successful recycling of materials of the individual fractions while
complying with all requirements made to QA systems
THE CONCEPT
• In cooperation with Maschinenring associations or Raiffeisen, canisters and
packaging are taken back directly at the farm or in centralized collection centers
apart from the usual agricultural secondary raw materials
• Objective: pre-sorting of the materials and thus more efficient recycling
• Farmers and larger waste origination sources are offered on-site compacting of plastic
foils and packaging with its own mobile press for subsequent high-quality materials
recycling
• Observance of all legal guidelines
• Since 2010, old batteries and tires are taken back and recycled
THE COLLECTION
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ASCON collects many different kinds of waste from farms
The aim is highest possible sorting purity in the take-back and compacting of material
Agricultural foils are accepted separately either loose or bundled after previous use
Take-back prices for foils and other plastics are based on pre-sorting and bundling
of the material ➡ the more unmixed the material, the lower prices for farmers
• Acceptance prices for the various materials depend on the
➤ Collection site
➤ Type of material delivered
➤ Unmixed waste
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AGROcycle
THE SYSTEM PROCESS
Collected at farm or in a
collection point
We fraction and compact the material
Quality management and QA system evaluation
of the collection
Joint development of the documentation structure,
take-back, collection and recycling
Assumption of marketing/recycling
Development and implementation of the
documentation structure
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AGROcycle
THE RECYCLABLE MATERIALS CYCLE
The material is compacted on site into non-mixed bales
The recycler shreds, washes and then
re-granulates plastics
The more unmixed the material, the better the acceptance price
Re-granulates are used e.g. in
construction profiles, chairs or
other new products
THE SYSTEM
PARTNERS
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*Source of supply: www.interiorpark.com
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AUTOMOTIVEcycle
AUTOMOTIVEcycle – The EPR take-back and
EPR recycling system for the automotive industry
• ASCON has built up its own nationwide take-back system for the automobile
industry: AUTOMOTIVEcycle
• AUTOMOTIVEcycle is the ASCON concept for taking back and recycling
secondary raw materials and packaging in the automobile sector
• The service: ASCON
➤ Assumes the complete processing starting at the station
➤ Ensures the successful recycling of materials of the individual fractions while
complying with all requirements made to QA systems
THE CONCEPT
• Cooperating with auto repair shops, car dealerships and other industrial sectors,
canisters and packages are taken back in centralized collection centers or shops in
addition to the usual secondary raw materials of the automotive industry
• Objective: pre-sorting of materials and thus more efficient recycling
• Larger waste origination sources are offered to compact materials on site with an
own mobile press for subsequent high-quality materials recycling
• Observance of all legal guidelines
• Since 2010, old batteries, tires and old liquids as well as various additional waste
are taken back from the shop and recycled
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AUTOMOTIVEcycle
THE COLLECTION
• ASCON collects many different kinds of waste from automobile shops
• The objective is to have the most unmixed materials possible when taking back and
compacting them
• ASCON provides partner companies with the necessary special containers that facilitate the legally prescribed waste collection
• Special vehicles ensure that liquid or solid waste can be taken away quickly and
safely out of the shop
• Foils are accepted separately after previous use, loose or bundled
• The redemption prizes for foils and other plastics depend on the pre-sorting and
bundling of the material ➡ the more unmixed the material, the lower the prices for
customers
• Acceptance for the various materials depend on the
➤ Collection site
➤ Type of material delivered
➤ Waste purity
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AUTOMOTIVEcycle
THE SYSTEM PROCESS
Take-back in the shop or on site
Fractioning and own compaction of materials
Quality management and QA system Evaluation of
the collection
Joint development of the documentation structure,
take-back, collection and recycling
Assumption of marketing /recycling
Development and implementation of the
documentation structure
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AUTOMOTIVEcycle
THE RECYCLABLE MATERIALS CYCLE
The beter sorted the material, the better the
acceptance price
Compaction of the material on site
unmixed in bales
The recycler shreds, washes and then re-granulates plastics
Re-granulates are used in new
products or once again in foils
THE SYSTEM
PARTNERS
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PHARMAcycle
PHARMAcycle – The EPR take-back and
recycling system for expired medications and health
care packaging
THE DISPOSAL OF EXPIRED MEDICATIONS
• A take-back of old medications through pharmacies or health care companies is
not legally prescribed in Germany
➤ Consumers incorrectly dispose of many expired medications, especially through
the sink or toilet, etc.
➤ Medications discarded via the wastewater pose significant environmental risks
because they especially contaminate groundwater and drinking water
➤ The Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) has detected traces of
pharmaceutical substances from painkillers, antibiotics, psychotropic drugs, etc.
in many bodies of water in Germany, including in groundwater and drinking
water
➤ Awareness about the environmental risks posed by improperly discarded
medicines is growing in the population, but is still far from sufficient
PHARMAcycle
• The return of expired medications by consumers in the pharmacy or health care
companies is the most sustainable and environmentally compatible disposal route
• ASCON takes back und recycles expired medications and their packaging that
participating partners have accumulated
• Benefits for participating companies
➤ By offering to take back and recycle expired medications and their packaging,
high customer service is provided and consumers are made aware ➡ customer
retention
➤ Positive image:
In addition to dispensing medicines and providing pharmaceutical services,
information and advice to consumers, the redemption service fits perfectly into
the overall picture of a responsible and economically-minded health care sector
company
➤ Affiliated companies contribute to sustainability
➤ Low effort and costs
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PHARMAcycle
THE CONCEPT
• Take-back and recycling of the usual expired medications and their packaging at
the on-site collection points
• Objective: pre-sorting of materials and therefore more efficient recycling
• Consideration of all legal requirements
• Since 2012 used batteries, sales packaging made of paper, cardboard or carton as
well as fully emptied plastic packaging (blister packs, cans, tubes and small tubes)
are also taken back and recycled
THE IMPLEMENTATION
• ASCON provides plastic bags to partner companies for collecting various materials
• The taken-back expired medications and their packaging are sorted separately in
the corresponding bags according to what kind of material they are made of
• ASCON regularly collects the materials from affiliated pharmacies and health care
sector companies
• Efficient recycling of all the collected flows of materials
THE COLLECTION
ASCON provides to the partner companies plastic bags in different colors for the
collection and pre-sorting of different materials:
• red bag: old medications and their leftovers, expired medicines;
preferably without packaging
• blue bag: fully emptied paper, cardboard and carton as well as paper
package inserts
• yellow bag: fully emptied plastic packaging, compounds, tubes, cans,
small tubes, blisters
• sharps box: syringes, sharp objects, needle collector
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PHARMAcycle
THE SYSTEM PROCESS
System
participation
(sending of
starter set)
Collection
of expired
medications
and their
packaging
Recycling /
disposal
Pick-ups
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PHARMAcycle
THE RECYCLABLE MATERIALS CYCLE
Paper, cardboard and carton
The collected pulp packaging and package
inserts are processed and their impurities removed for recycling.
The fibrous materials are either processed
directly or in subsequent processing steps into
finished products such as cardboard packaging
or the like.
Plastics
The collected plastics are processed for
shredding, washing and subsequently re-granulated by the recycler.
The re-granulated plastic is used either directly
in subsequent processing steps for making finished products such as building profiles, backs
of chairs, etc. or sold as intermediate product.
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PHARMAcycle
SAFE DESTRUCTION OF EXPIRED MEDICATIONS
➜ Expired medications collected via the PHARMAcycle take-back system are recycled in
suitable waste incineration plants in compliance with legal requirements
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Safe and environmentally-compatible
disposal route, especially when compared
to improper disposal though domestic
sewage
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Prevention of pharmaceutical residues in
water and sewage
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Secondary raw material
worldwide
Raw material
Consulting
Marketing
Foil
Sustainability
economical
Recyclable material
Take-back
Sorting
Waste production is
a human peculiarity.
In the plant and animal
kingdom, there is no
waste because perfectly
closed cycles exist
there – they are our
model.
Recovery
Product responsibility Commerce
High-tech
CO2
ecological
Recycling
Material flow management
Environment
CONTACT: ASCON Corporation
80 Pine Street, Floor 24 I New York, NY 10005 I USA
[email protected] I www.ascon-corp.com