The Energy & Industry Division in Spain has been awarded the contract to provide waste characterisation, materials’ quality control, stock control and damp and dirt assessment services for 2018 and 2019. The contract can be extended for a further year at the request of Ecoembalajes España, S.A. – Ecoembes (a Spanish integrated packaging-waste management system).
Ecoembes is an organisation that cares for the environment through recycling and the eco-design of packaging in Spain, making it possible for plastic packaging, cans, cartons and paper and cardboard packaging to have a second life.
For the last 10 years, Applus+ has been providing these services on behalf of Ecoembes in Galicia. This new contract widens our remit to include Asturias, Cantabria, Navarra, La Rioja, the Basque country, Aragón and half of Catalonia.
Waste characterisation involves assessing the composition of a piece of waste and determining its different material categories. This provides Ecoembes with detailed information regarding what is being deposited in recycling banks and, as such, enables them to take appropriate corrective action.
The quality control of materials salvaged by packaging sorting plants or waste treatment facilities takes place before these materials are transferred to the take-back or recycling companies. These checks conform to Spain’s ETMR (technical specifications for salvaged materials) quality standards.
The fulfilment of this contract involves the employment of around 40 full-time technicians (field personnel and coordinators) and is worth around €1.1 million per year.
This contract, together with the waste characterisation work undertaken for the primary integrated packaging-
waste management systems in Portugal, positions the Energy & Industry Division as a leading provider of these services across the Iberian Peninsula.