News report
Recovering rare earth elements requires consistent
European policy
Lighting industry, waste processing industry and politicians join forces
The lighting industry and the Dutch Waste Management Association are keen for more investment in
recovering rare earth elements, for example from energy saving light bulbs and fluorescent tubes. During
a visit by MEP Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy to Indaver-Relight in Doel, representatives from the lighting and
waste processing industries called for a Marshall Plan for rare earth elements. This will require
international cooperation.
On 26 January the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barosso, published the Resource
Efficiency Flagship Initiative. The European Union recognises the need to make more efficient use of resources,
such as water, fuels and minerals, and become less reliant on imports by investing in recycling and sustainable
energy. The document contains a series of measures to reduce waste by industry and consumers. According to
Barroso continuing as at present is not an option.
MEP Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy
(ALDE Group) agrees. As
rapporteur to the European
Parliament, Gerbrandy will
present concrete measures for
more sustainable use of natural
resources. On 11 July, in his
capacity as rapporteur on
resource efficiency, he visited
recyclers Indaver in Doel (BE)
and ATM in Moerdijk (NL). Also
present were representatives
from Philips, TU Delft and the
Dutch Waste Management
Association.
The lighting and waste processing industries are taking important steps towards recovering and reusing more raw
materials from waste, thus making raw materials use more sustainable. Gas discharge lamps contain scarce
elements (Yttrium and Europium). Moreover, some components, such as mercury, are damaging to the
environment and human health. Indaver Relight collects gas discharge lamps in the Netherlands, Belgium and
parts of France and processes them to high standards at its plant in Doel. In a specially developed facility the
fluorescent tubes are broken down into all their constituent components, which are partly reused as raw materials.
For other lamps, such as the fluorescent light bulb types, an additional technology is required to produce
materials of the right quality to permit full recycling.
Each year Indaver recycles about 30 million gas discharge lamps, using advanced techniques to recover up to
95% of the materials, mainly glass and metals. The hazardous gases in the lamps are extracted and eliminated.
The technology was developed in collaboration with the lighting industry. Sharing knowledge between different
partners across the whole chain, from primary inputs to final processing, is a key condition for success.
Different minimum standards
In the Netherlands the National Waste Management Plan sets the minimum standards for waste collection and
processing for resource recycling. Manufacturers and waste processors operating throughout Europe experience
the differences in minimum standards between member states to be an obstacle to recovering rare earth
elements. Martin de Jager (Philips): ‘To further develop and expand the recovery of rare earth elements in future,
we need cooperation between governments, producers and recycling companies to shape a coherent European
policy. As long as recovered rare earths do not command sufficient value, supporting policies will be needed if we
are to achieve the policy goals. Options include a uniform set of minimum standards and financial incentives for
recovery and disposal.’
Gerbrandy spoke about this during his visit: ‘Setting minimum standards for the whole of Europe is certainly a
possibility. The present European legislative framework allows the adoption of minimum standards for processing
wastes. For fluorescent lamps the minimum standard is recovery. This gives an added impetus in all European
countries to start building a recycling society. We have no time to lose and I am working for a “new deal” with
producers and consumers. Until now, growth in prosperity has been accompanied by increasing use of resources.
That is not a model for the future. The exhaustibility of raw materials means that we must invest in closing
materials chains; in other words, we need more recycling of resources, ecodesign and materials efficiency. At the
same time, investing in a more sustainable economic system will provide a secure basis for rising prosperity in the
long term.’
Peter Louwman (Delta Milieu/Indaver): ‘For us, sustainable waste and materials management is a sound
combination of maximising returns from materials and energy, cost efficient processing, and minimum
environmental and climate impacts. This makes it crucially important to invest in innovative recycling technologies
that deliver high-grade materials without the risk of hazardous materials and contaminants (pollution) entering
food and/or materials chains.’
Other waste streams
Setting uniform European standards is important for other waste streams too. Danny van Leeuwen, commercial
director of ATM in Moerdijk: ‘ATM stands for a tidier world. For us it is important that environmental standards in
Europe are brought in line with each other. In the Netherlands, tar-containing asphalt is no longer permitted for
use on roads; the minimum standard for this waste is thermal processing. It cannot be right for tar-containing
asphalt from the Netherlands to be used on roads in other European countries. This amounts to exporting an
environmental and health problem, whereas the waste legislation is meant to solve these types of problems. But
differences in environmental standards between member states make investing in cleaner technologies
uneconomic.’
ATM was established in the early 1980s to clean contaminated soil. It is now an international operator and each
year processes 1.2 million tonnes of soil, 0.6 million tonnes of polluted water, and 60,000 tonnes of chemical
waste, such as dredged material containing oil. Van Leeuwen: ‘Our industrial concept is unique in the world. By
integrating our various facilities we can make highly efficient use of resources.’
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Resource efficiency
Dick Hoogendoorn, director of the Dutch Waste Management Association: ‘We wholeheartedly support the call for
adopting minimum European processing standards for wastes. This would bring a European level playing field a
step closer, stem the loss of valuable raw materials like rare earth elements and give a practical boost to resource
efficiency.’
Jan Henk Welink, coordinator of the Knowledge Platform for Sustainable Resource Management at TU Delft:
‘Making more sustainable use of raw materials and natural resources is a growing challenge to industry and
government. The scientific community can contribute by investing with government and the business sector in
research and innovation in this area. That is why I am setting up the Knowledge Platform for Sustainable resource
Management.’
Useful links
www.indaver.com
www.atmmoerdijk.nl
www.duurzaamgrondstoffenbeheer.com
www.lightrec.nl
www.wastematters.eu / www.verenigingafvalbedrijven.nl
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