EU Adopts Strict Waste Reduction Laws

EU Adopts Strict Waste Reduction Laws



Feb 2007 - The European 
Parliament today tackled Europe's growing waste mountain when 
it strengthened the new framework legislation on waste 
proposed by the European Commission, the EU's executive 
branch. 
Despite existing legislation, Europeans are producing more 
waste every year. Currently, in some member states, up to 90 
percent of municipal waste goes to landfill sites. 
Europe-wide, only 33 percent of waste is recycled or 
composted. 
The lawmakers are convinced this cannot go on. They want the 
upward curve to be halted in 2012 and waste production to 
start declining from 2020. 
On a vote of 651 to 19 with 16 abstentions, Parliament today 
adopted a report by UK Conservative MEP Caroline Jackson on 
the framework directive. 
The measure introduces targets for waste prevention and 
recycling, and directs all 27 EU member states to create 
national waste prevention programs within 18 months of the 
entry into force of the legislation, known as a framework 
directive. 
The mountains of rubbish in Europe are growing, but MEPs voted 
to reverse the trend. 
The aim is to stabilize waste production at the level reached 
in 2008 by 2012. 
But stabilizing production of waste was not enough for the 
MEPs. In addition, they set waste reduction targets to be 
reached by 2020 that would have to be established by 2010. 
MEPs also adopted a report by Dutch MEP Johannes Blokland, of 
the Independence and Democracy group, on the "thematic 
strategy" for waste, a more general text without binding 
rules, whose content they intend to flesh out and make more 
ambitious. The vote on this report was 662 to 17, with three 
abstentions. 
As result of these votes, the principle of a "hierarchy" in 
the treatment of waste is for the first time laid down in a 
piece of draft legislation as well as in the "thematic 
strategy." 
To prevent and reduce waste production, the hierarchy lays 
down an order of preference for waste operations - first 
prevention, then re-use, recycling, other recovery operations 
and, as a last resort, safe and environmentally sound 
disposal. 
Opinions differed among MEPs as to how binding this hierarchy 
should be. In the end it was agreed that deviations from the 
order of priorities should only be allowed on the basis of 
established, publicly available scientific criteria. 
The Pen-Y-Bont landfill site in Wales is one of the deepest in 
Europe and is expected to be full within 10 years of opening. 

For MEPs a crucial point is to reduce the amount of landfill 
and incineration, both of which cause pollution. 
But in the debate ahead of the vote, MEPs were divided over 
whether incineration should be regarded as a form of disposal 
or a recovery operation. 
The Commission initially proposed that it should be 
categorized as recovery, provided it meets a certain energy 
efficiency standard. 
MEPs backed the energy efficiency principle by laying down a 
scale of standards to be met by incinerators. 
But in the end, a majority of MEPs rejected the idea that 
incineration should be regarded as recovery. 
If this option remains in the legislation at the end of the 
co-decision procedure, the critics said, those involved in 
waste processing will no longer be able to opt as easily as 
they can today for the simple solution of incineration. 
Parliament also introduced binding targets for re-use and 
recycling. 
By 2020, 50 percent of municipal solid waste and 70 percent of 
waste from construction, demolition, industry and 
manufacturing must be re-used or recycled. 
In principle any waste must, wherever possible, at least be 
recovered. Rules on landfill are also tightened up. 
The "thematic strategy" now contains a schedule. By 2015, 
landfill will be banned for at least paper, glass, textiles, 
plastic and metal. By that date separate waste collection 
systems for these categories must be set up. 
By 2020, no recyclable waste must end up in landfill sites. 
Friends of the Earth Europe and the European Environmental 
Bureau, EEB, representing 143 member organizations in 31 
countries, welcomed today's vote backing waste prevention and 
recycling as the key elements for dealing with waste in 
Europe. 
Dr. Michael Warhurst, waste and resources campaigner for 
Friends of the Earth Europe, said, "MEPs have supported 
European targets for recycling and waste prevention, which 
will help Europe's economy become more resource efficient, and 
reduce our impacts on climate change. 
"Their support for clear legislation supporting prevention, 
reuse and recycling, and their insistence on a biowaste 
directive, will make a real difference in creating a 
sustainable Europe," said Warhurst. "Now national governments 
must also support these important measures." 
This waste-to-energy power plant in Zorbau municipality, 
Saxonia-Anhalt, Germany, can burn 300,000 tons of municipal 
solid waste per year. 
The environmental groups also congratulated MEPs for rejecting 
a misguided proposal to "re-brand" incineration, which would 
have promoted transporting and burning waste. 
Doreen Fedrigo, EEB's waste policy officer said, "Parliament 
has today added its voice to those of many EU countries by 
rejecting the Commission's proposal to reclassify incinerators 
as 'recovery' facilities." 
"This would have encouraged countries with strict, costly 
facilities, like Germany, to export waste to cheaper ones, 
such as the newer member states which might have become the 
'burning grounds' of Europe," Fedrigo said. "The Commission 
now needs to rethink its approach." 
The MEPs added many provisions or principles which are more 
binding than those contained in the Commission's initial 
proposal:

  introduction of a "polluter-pays principle" 

  introduction of a "proximity principle," i.e. that waste for 
  disposal should be processed in one of the "nearest 

  appropriate installations," regardless of national frontiers 

  a new article on traceability and control of hazardous waste 

  a ban on mixing different categories of hazardous waste;
 
  hazardous compounds should be separated from all waste 
  streams before they enter the recovery chain
 
  a call for legislation to be proposed to define which 
  secondary products are no longer deemed to be waste 

  new articles on biowaste and catering waste 

  new articles on permits, especially for hazardous waste, and 
  on sanctions 

  creation of a Consultation Forum on Waste Management

The goals that Parliament has laid down with this first 
reading vote, together with the differing views, for example 
over incineration, herald a tricky co-decision procedure with 
the Council. 
Now, following the Parliament’s first reading vote, on June 
28, Environment Ministers will agree the Council Common 
Position. 
In late 2007 or the first half of 2008, any disagreements 
between the European Parliament and the EU member states will 
be resolved in a second reading, involving further votes in 
Parliament. There may even be a further compromise process 
after these votes in order to get agreement. 
In mid-late 2008, the new directive will be finalized once the 
European Parliament and EU member states agree. It will then 
be translated into national law in all 27 EU member states. 

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