PLASTICS WASTE
New waste-shipment rules get thumbs up from Council of the EU / Adoption confirms ban on plastics exports to non-OECD countries
The Council of the European Union (the Council) has adopted revised plans to reduce the amount of plastics waste exported by EU countries to non-OECD states, concluding two and a half years of legal and political moves to restrict the practice.
 After a certain timeframe, OECD countries have the option of declaring their willingness to import EU plastics waste (Photo: Pexels/Armanc Sülün) |
The move to confirm the Waste Shipment Regulations concludes efforts to police the transport of hazardous waste, after the European Commission first published its proposal to update the waste shipment regulations in November 2021. After several stages of talks and agreements, MEPs voted through a series of tougher rules covering plastics exports last month.
While the revised regulation retains the ban on member states exporting waste for disposal to third countries, and on exporting hazardous waste destined for recovery in non-OECD countries, it also introduces a ban on exports of non-hazardous plastics waste to non-OECD countries.
Related: European Parliament votes for stricter waste export rules
Such countries could, however, declare their willingness to import EU plastics waste after a certain timeframe, the Council said, provided they met strict waste-management standards.
Requests would have to be agreed by the Commission before the ban could be lifted. Non-hazardous plastics waste can be exported to OECD countries under the ‘prior written notification and consent procedure’ rules, but would be “subject to specific scrutiny by the Commission”.
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Claudia Mensi, president of the European Federation for Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD, Brussels; www.fead.be), said the new regulations would keep more of the generated waste within the EU.
“Our role as industry representatives is now to make understand that such restrictions require improved recycling and waste management capacities, a strong and stable demand for recyclates, and improved procedures for us to be able to process these increased amounts of waste.”
Mensi said it was now essential that the new rules be properly implemented, as any reviews of the regulations would not take place until 2035.
“Our role as industry representatives is now to make understand that such restrictions require improved recycling and waste management capacities, a strong and stable demand for recyclates, and improved procedures for us to be able to process these increased amounts of waste.”
Mensi said it was now essential that the new rules be properly implemented, as any reviews of the regulations would not take place until 2035.
04.04.2024 Plasteurope.com [254972-0]
Published on 04.04.2024