There are four criteria required for a waste material to obtain end-of-waste status:[1]
- the substance or object is commonly used for specific purposes;
- there is an existing market or demand for the substance or object;
- the use is lawful (the substance or object fulfils the technical requirements for the specific purposes and meets the existing legislation and standards applicable to products);
- the use will not lead to overall adverse environmental or human health impacts.
Furthermore, when judging end-of-waste status, the following detailed criteria are also taken into consideration to ensure a high level of protection of the environment and human health and facilitate the prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources.
These include:
(a) permissible waste input material for the recovery operation;
(b) allowed treatment processes and techniques;
(c) quality criteria for end-of-waste materials resulting from the recovery operation in line with the applicable product standards, including limit values for pollutants where necessary;
(d) requirements for management systems to demonstrate compliance with the end-of-waste criteria, including for quality control and self-monitoring, and accreditation, where appropriate; and
(e) a requirement for a statement of conformity.
[1] European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/framework/end_of_waste.html
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