EU moves towards central waste management policy
June 23, 2008
The European Commission has issued a statement welcoming the recent second reading vote by the European Parliament approving the revision of the Waste Framework Directive, which has been described as "the central pillar of EU waste management policy".
The revised directive marks a major change in EU waste policy, with Europe's first ever general recycling targets.
The new directive will also serve to streamline EU waste legislation by replacing three existing directives, ie the current Waste Framework Directive (2006/12/EC), the Hazardous Waste Directive (91/689/EEC) and the Waste Oils Directive (75/439/EEC).
In summary, the revised directive:
- sets new recycling targets to be achieved by the Member States by 2020, including recycling rates of 50% for household and similar wastes and 70% for construction and demolition waste
- strengthens provisions on waste prevention through an obligation for Member States to develop national waste prevention programmes, and a commitment from the Commission to report on prevention and set waste prevention objectives
- sets a clear, five-step "hierarchy" of waste management options, according to which prevention is the preferred option, followed by reuse, recycling, other forms of recovery and with safe disposal as the last recourse
- clarifies a number of important definitions, such as recycling, recovery and waste itself; in particular, the legislation draws a line between waste and by-products and defines when waste has been recovered enough - through recycling or other treatment - to cease being waste.
European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said, "This legislation marks a shift in thinking about waste from an unwanted burden to a valued resource and helps to make Europe a recycling society. It introduces a modernised approach to waste management, with clearer definitions, greater emphasis on prevention of waste and ambitious new recycling goals."
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