Soaring amounts of some material flows, drastic decreasing of others, and municipal solid waste, masks, rubber gloves “smuggled” into recycling bins. On top of the risks and additional costs of safety due to the corona virus pandemic, Hamburger Recycling Hungary Kft also had to face the above-mentioned challenges this year. The company did well during the first wave, but in order to successfully fulfil their tasks in future, a change in the attitude of the population and decision-makers is also required.
Since March, most people staying home have led to a significant increase in the amount of waste generated by the population, and many have unfortunately hidden their excess garbage into selectively collected paper and plastic instead of putting it into bags available from the public service providers’ partners.
By doing this, people have given a massive extra task to those who were already trying their best to save the recycling industry from collapsing. Even during the most severe restrictions, the company ensured the smooth collection and processing of selected waste in Budapest (including 90% of all paper and two-thirds of metal and plastic packaging), thus not letting down the population, public service providers – or the environment.
In some Western European countries, allowances may be withheld from those who do not use recycling bins as intended, but there is no sanction for this in Hungary. Instead of punishment, widespread information campaigns in the national media could certainly improve the culture of selective waste collection and the proper handling of masks and rubber gloves.
In addition to the eroding discipline of the population regarding waste collection, the planning was also complicated by the fact that the amount of waste generated in each material flow changed drastically in different phases of the pandemic. For example, the number of flyers has significantly reduced starting from spring; in contrast, PET bottles, metal beverage cans, LDPE foils and cartons were increasingly circulated.
In addition to the growing workload and safety measures, the uncertainty lingering in the recycling sector made this a difficult period. This sector had to face the toughest year of its history not knowing whether - as before – it could benefit from the revenue coming from the environmental product fee or not. The absence of such revenue would greatly affect all parties, and at the same time jeopardize Hungary's compliance with EU recycling requirements.
In the current situation, the prospects for the paper collection in schools that suffered heavy damage in the springtime, are not favorable in autumn either. In addition to the uncertainties due to the pandemic, there is the low world market price, which mostly makes it difficult to conduct the collection in a financially viable manner. However, the good news is that many schools have indicated that in the name of environmentally conscious education, the initiative would still be announced despite the absence of significant revenue, in a sort of “green team-building” nature. Close to the four sites of Hamburger Recycling Hungary Kft (Budapest, Maglód, Inota, Lőrinci), the company is still available to its similarly committed partners, within its capabilities.