A company which chops plastic pipes into pieces removes the metal and sells it to plastic converter. The plastic converter manufactures plastic pipes again. Does the company sell waste or recovered material ?
The introductory Chapter 1 of the guidance waste and recovered substances addresses the concepts of waste under REACH and the borderline between waste and material that has ceased to be waste.
However in this guidance does not clarify the definition of waste or recovered substance for me.
According to Article 6 (1) and (2) of the new Waste Framework Directive, certain specified waste shall cease to be waste when it has undergone a recovery operation and complies with specific criteria to be developed in line with certain legal conditions, in particular:
(a) the substance or object is commonly used for specific purposes;
(b) a market or demand exists for such a substance or object;
(c) the substance or object fulfils the technical requirements for the specific purposes and meets the existing legislation and standards applicable to products; and
(d) the use of the substance or object will not lead to overall adverse environmental or human health impacts.