ISO Standards address plastics and ship materials recycling.
Press Release Summary:
Developed by ISO Technical Committee 61, ISO 15270:2008 guides plastics industry stakeholders in development of sustainable global infrastructure for plastics recovery and recycling. ISO/PAS 30003:2008, a publicly available specification, contains principles and requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of ship recycling management systems, according to management system specifications and standards.
Original Press Release:
ISO Standards Address Recycling in Ship Materials and Plastics Industries
"Reduce, reuse, and recycle" is a axiom followed around the world to cut down on waste, and the standards community is making it easier than ever to heed these wise words. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has recently developed guidelines relating to the recycling of two products that are abundant in today's international marketplace. The first, covering plastics, will likely affect more individual products over wide range of industries; the second, dealing with ship materials, deals with fewer products, but those of enormous size and weight.
ISO 15270:2008, Plastics - Guidelines for the recovery and recycling of plastics waste will assist the emerging worldwide market for plastic recovery and recycling.
ISO 15270:2008 guides plastics industry stakeholders in the development of a sustainable global infrastructure for plastics recovery and recycling. The document also facilitates formation of a sustainable market for recovered plastics materials and their derived manufactured products.
ISO 15270:2008 was developed by ISO Technical Committee (TC) 61, Plastics. ASTM International, a member and accredited standards developer of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is the secretariat for TC 61. Dr. Michael M. Fisher, director of technology at the American Plastics Council, serves as the chairperson.
"Access to markets for recovered materials or energy is an important consideration," said Dr. Fisher. "There is already international trade in end-of-life products for the purpose of reclaiming or recycling the plastic components and ISO 15270:2008 is intended to provide a valuable resource that is globally relevant, no matter which particular legislative or regulatory framework for plastic recovery and recycling governs its application."
The second recent ISO document on recycling, ISO/PAS 30003:2008, Ships and marine technology - Ship recycling management systems - Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of ship recycling management is a publicly available specification (PAS) that contains principles and requirements for bodies providing the audit and certification of ship recycling management systems, according to management system specifications and standards. This will help to increase the safety of workers and protection of the environment by providing requirements for independent recognition of good practice in the management of ship recycling.
The document, which is principally targeted at third party audit and certification bodies, will facilitate the international recognition of accredited certification bodies and the acceptance of their certifications.
In particular, ISO/PAS 30003 will:
provide harmonized guidance for the accreditation of certification bodies applying for ISO 30000 registration/certification;
define the rules applicable for the audit and certification of a ship recycling management system complying with the standard's requirements; and
offer customers the necessary information and confidence about the way certification of their waste and other material handling or service companies have been granted.
ISO/PAS 30003 is the second document available in a series of standards (ISO 30000) on ship recycling management that promotes the safety of workers and preservation of the environment, as well as the recovery of steel and other materials and equipment for reuse.
This document was developed by ISO Technical Committee (TC) 8, Ships and marine technology. The U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Administrator to this TC is ASTM International.
Whether ship materials and plastics or newspapers and soda cans are being recycled, international standards help to make the process run smoothly. Through continuing efforts by U.S. and international standardization organizations, recycling will become an increasingly efficient and effective step for every industry across the globe.
