With the NF EN 840 standards, waste collection runs like clockwork

In late April 2018, the government released a roadmap outlining numerous measures to be taken to develop the circular economy. At the heart of this initiative is waste management and its various forms: reuse, recycling, composting, and incineration with energy recovery. But effective waste management is impossible without containers to collect, sort, and transport it!

To be fully effective, waste containers must meet various standards developed by manufacturers and users, who are free to adopt them or not. In particular, these include the NF EN 840 series of voluntary standards, published in 2013 and organized into six parts. These standards are currently under review, and from July 13 to September 5, 2018, the updated version is open for public consultation: you can view and comment on the draft text by creating an account on Norm’info, the search engine for voluntary standards developed by AFNOR.

NF EN 840: Design and dimensional requirements for waste containers

The NF EN 840 series of voluntary standards provides several recommendations. Part 1 covers the design and dimensions of two-wheeled containers with a capacity of 400 liters or less for comb-type container lifters; Part 2 covers four-wheeled containers with a capacity of 1,300 liters or less, with flat lids, for pin-type and/or comb-type container lifters; Part 4 covers four-wheeled models with a capacity of 1,700 liters or less, with flat lid(s), for wide-spindle or BG-tilting container lifters and/or wide-comb container lifters. Parts 5 and 6 cover, respectively, performance requirements and test methods, and health and safety requirements.

“Whether or not they were part of the expert group that worked on these new European-level standards, waste management professionals would be well advised to review the revised version in order to anticipate the evolving needs of their market. “Following this consultation phase, they will be able to attend the meeting to review the comments,” notes Paula Castillo, project manager at AFNOR Standardization, who led the work.

Are you a manufacturer or supplier of waste containers? Or do you work with the equipment used to handle them? These projects are for you! 

Provide feedback on the draft revised NF EN 840-1 standard
Provide feedback on the draft revised NF EN 840-3 standard
Provide feedback on the draft revised NF EN 840-4 standard
Provide feedback on the draft revised NF EN 840-5 standard
Provide feedback on the draft revised NF EN 840-6 standard