The Rendez-vous du Mondial du Bâtiment take stock of EPR issues

"Le Grand Dossier du Mondial du Bâtiment" which was held on May 7 as part of the second Rendez-vous du Mondial was devoted to the theme of extended producer responsibility (REP) under the title "REP: what challenges for the building sector? "and brought together to discuss:

• Stéphanie JACOB, President of the circular economy working group of the AIMCC,
• Hervé DE MAISTRE, Chairman of the IPC Sector Strategic Committee,
• Sylviane OBERLÉ, Pollution Prevention Officer, Association of Mayors of France.

The opportunity for 45 minutes to take stock of the progress of the Extended Producer Responsibility sector for construction products and materials in the building sector, which will apply from January 1, 2022.

REP: consultations still underway

In order to accelerate the transition to a necessary circular economy, the government published in 2018 a circular economy roadmap which established the principle of creating new sectors with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Measure 33 of this Roadmap concerned the study of the implementation of an EPR system applied to building waste. This was incorporated into the law on the fight against waste and the circular economy of February 10, 2020. The REP sector for construction products and materials in the building sector (PMCB) must be set up as of January 1, 2022.2

Open for consultation on April 21 by the public authorities, a guidance note presents the principles they propose to apply for the establishment of this EPR sector. Consultation meetings are still in progress before publication of a perimeter decree and the various stakeholders in this file must deliver their conclusions on May 18. It will then be for the State to decide.

The Prefiguration study of the EPR sector of construction products and materials in the building sector published by Ademe in March 2021 sets several guidelines:

• Develop the network of recovery points in order to offer local solutions to holders throughout the territory,
• Determine the terms and conditions for the free recovery of waste subject to separate collection,
• Strengthen waste traceability,
• Develop the recycling / recovery of PMCB waste, in particular those with poor recycling / recovery performance,
• Amplify the reuse / reuse of PMCBs,
• Develop eco-design.

On the morning of May 7, the 3 speakers underlined their mobilization around the definition and implementation of EPR. Stéphanie Jacob thus indicates: “We all want to make this REP a success. ", while Hervé de Maistre underlines “There is still work to be done to refine what has been proposed. But a lot of things already exist on the ground that need to be amplified. ". For Sylviane Oberlé: “The communities are waiting for a pragmatic device that works. It doesn't matter what it is. "

A necessary reflection on networking and sorting at source

The anti-waste law for a circular economy (known as AGEC) at the origin of the creation of the REP has as a stake the fight against illegal dumping. This is one of the reasons why the territorial network is essential. The Ademe therefore recommends collection points every 15 kilometers on average and 10 kilometers around large cities.

Sylviane Oberlé specifies : “Public waste collection centers collect 13 million tonnes of waste from a wide variety of actors: individuals, craftsmen and large companies. It is impossible to accommodate more. This is why the grid is essential but also the adaptation of this grid to the waste received. We recommend that individuals continue to be welcomed by community waste collection centers. That large companies manage their waste themselves and that craftsmen benefit from a hybrid system in line with their needs. ".

These are the needs that Hervé de Maistre also emphasizes:“Craftsmen need a wide range of schedules that current waste collection centers cannot manage. Unauthorized deposits come in particular from these difficulties in finding places open at times that suit the activity of artisans. We have to think of the network in terms of geography but also in terms of the services provided. "

Stéphanie Jacob provides some details: “The EPR that we are putting in place is the most important in terms of quantity. 45 million tonnes of waste, including 33 million tonnes of inert waste, must be collected. These are totally new dimensions and an implementation that must be done in a very limited time. "

And for this EPR to work, each of the interlocutors stresses the importance of sorting at source. For Hervé de Maistre: “Source sorting is fundamental. To recycle, you must first sort correctly. ". However, there is no way that the recovery bins are multiplying at the entrance to the sites. For professionals in the sector, the free recovery must be organized at the recovery point.

The creation of a dedicated eco-organization

The marketers are getting organized and have decided to create a specific eco-organization. Today, 25 players (manufacturers and distributors) are mobilized around this project led by Hervé de Maistre: “The marketers already involved in this project have made positive and proactive contributions. All the conditions are in place to embark on an ambitious project which also plans to preserve what is already working to advance the entire sector. "

Sylviane Oberlé, for her part, indicates : “Communities are already working with 10 or 15 eco-organizations. What is interesting here is that the EPR emanates from marketers just like the eco-organization being created. For communities, it is important that eco-organizations work together. "

To see or re-watch The Mondial du Bâtiment meetings of May 7, click here