If ENNEATECH were not a certified waste management company for plastic waste, the company would not be able to produce PA recyclate. This is because the one is directly linked to the other: German legislation defines the term recyclate as a secondary raw material that is obtained through the recycling of waste or is generated during the disposal of waste. This is why every plastics recycling company must also be a specialist waste management company, as the law stipulates that new products are created from waste.
But what does the term certified waste management company, or EfB for short, actually mean? This is defined in § 56 para. 2 of the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act (KrWG). The requirements are described in the Ordinance on Specialist Waste Management Companies (EfbV). A company or part of a company is therefore only an EfB if it has the corresponding certification.
Similar to ISO 9001 certification, independent auditors check whether all requirements for the EfB certificate have been met. This includes, for example, proof of the professional and technical competence of employees and certification of the reliability of company management and executives. Adequate insurance cover for the company is also essential. Work processes must be regulated in writing and there must be an annual plan for the necessary staff training. The training package at ENNEATECH has it all. Here are just a few examples: The two waste management officers have to refresh their knowledge every two years, the three safety officers go to school every three to five years and the 14 first aiders every two years. Every year, one employee deepens his expertise to ensure the necessary hygiene and safety standards in the recooling plant and the wet scrubber, where biocides are used. Two more will be added in November 2023 to ensure that a specialist has the necessary knowledge in every shift. Proof of disposal must be available for all substances and materials that arise in day-to-day production. This includes laboratory chemicals, packaging material, old electrical appliances and similar items.
However, the focus of the certification is on the proper recycling of waste. Is regranulate or recompound actually produced from the waste and is the necessary plant available and approved in accordance with the Federal Immission Control Act? To this end, the inspectors scrutinize the material flows, the complete documentation and the machines. The company diary is an important tool here. ENNEATECH records information on the type, quantity, origin and whereabouts of the plastic waste and documents what happens to it.
Certification as a waste management company always focuses on specific activities. ENNEATECH is dedicated to storing, handling, recycling, trading and brokering. Collecting, transporting and disposing of waste is not part of the game — after all, ENNEATECH turns plastic waste back into high-quality polyamide.
Suppliers also benefit from a certified waste management company. ENNEATECH can issue them with a recycling certificate for their waste — an important piece of the puzzle on the road to zero waste.
Every year, three employees at ENNEATECH take care of the certification process. Re-certification takes place every three years, with surveillance audits in the two years in between. Those responsible have the procedure fully under control, as the polyamide specialist has been going through it since it was founded. Since then, he has been awarded the seal of approval as a certified waste management company year after year.
