Development of a standard-compliant method for determining the proportion of impurities in mixed waste paper in accordance with EN 643, as a contribution towards achieving the end-of-waste status (‘Determination of impurities in waste paper’)

The aim of the project is to develop a legally compliant and practically applicable methodology for the qualitative and quantitative determination of the proportion of contaminants in mixed waste paper, in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of the EN 643 standard for grades 1–4. The methodology is to be based on a combination of optical and manual analysis methods following representative sampling of mixed waste paper by grade purity, whether in bulk or in bales, and must be feasible using simple operational resources. Based on statistical variance and sampling approaches, sampling and analysis strategies, evaluation parameters and testing intervals are defined, building on existing industry standards, specifications and legal frameworks (e.g. existing national end-of-waste regulations for other types of waste). Sampling and analysis strategies must be tailored to specific use cases and accuracy requirements in order to optimise the analytical effort and (informational) benefit. The project objectives include (1) the development of a standardised procedure for determining contaminants, (2) the development of an analytical concept, (3) the derivation of statistically sound sampling frequencies, and (4) validation under real operating conditions. The methodology is based on (1) an analysis of the literature, standards (EN 643, sorting standards) and legal requirements (for comparable waste types under waste disposal regulations), (2) the development of a variance-based sampling design, (3) the combination of manual sorting analysis with optical aids, (4) field tests in model facilities, and (4) the comparison of the results with standard limit values.