The European Commission on 2 July adopted new proposals on its Waste Framework Directive, the Landfill Directive as well as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive aimed at turning Europe into a more circular economy and raising recycling levels among member states (for previous coverage, see Plasteurope.com of 12.03.2013). In more concrete terms, the proposal includes a goal of recycling 70% of municipal waste and 80% of packaging waste by 2030, while banning landfill of recyclable waste by 2025.

The proposal, which will pass to the European Council and the European Parliamentafter summer recess, outlines ways to simplify waste legislation, increase cooperation between the Commission and its member states and proposes the set-up of extended producer responsibility schemes as well as tailor-made solutions for specific waste streams, including plastics. Once achieved, the new targets could create up to 580,000 jobs, the Commission said.

Commenting on the proposal, which would see a switch from a linear to a circular economy, Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said, “We are living with linear economic systems inherited from the 19th century in the 21st century world of emerging economies, millions of new middle class consumers, and inter-connected markets. If we want to compete we have to get the most out of our resources, and that means recycling them back into productive use, not burying them in landfills as waste.”

A number of European associations have already formulated responses to the document. The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment (Europen, Brussels / Belgium; www.europen-packaging.eu), for instance, has welcomed the Commission’s stipulation that the integrity of the internal market be preserved while the objectives are achieved. However, the organisation said it “regrets” that the proposal does not define the roles and responsibilities of all the actors that are responsible for meeting the targets, adding that defining roles and responsibilities is necessary to ensure cost-efficiency, accountability and to establish a level playing field. Europen managing director Virginia Janssens said, “The packaging supply chain recognises that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been implemented differently in most member states, and therefore encourages EU decision-makers to appropriately define the roles and responsibilities of all actors.”

PlasticsEurope (Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticseurope.org) welcomed the landfill ban, although it did so with “mixed feelings” since the Commission extended the 2020 deadline set in the 7th Environmental Action Programme to 2025. Association executive director Karl-H. Foerster said, “We would have liked to see a more ambitious approach to support our target of Zero Plastics to Landfill by 2020.” PlasticsEurope also said that while it supports the Commission’s efforts to increase the reliability of waste data through a more harmonised calculation methodology, it is concerned about combining the increased 80% plastic packaging recycling target with such a methodology. As per Foerster: “Switching from an input to an output-based calculation and increasing targets at the same time will drive plastics recyclers to focus even more on quantity versus quality, jeopardizing thus the potential environmental benefits of recycling.”

A similar concern was expressed by Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE, Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticsrecyclers.eu), which – while “thrilled” by the EU waste proposal – also called for a stronger push towards quality recycling. PRE president Ton Emans said, “The quality of recycled plastics depends on the quality of collection and sorting. Therefore, stricter requirement on separate collection and high quality sorting are needed in order to reach high quality recycling.”

European Plastics Converters’ (EuPC, Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticsconverters.eu) also questioned the methodology used to calculate recycling rates, urging the European Parliament and Council to engage in further discussions. Nevertheless, EuPC managing director Alexandre Dangis was welcoming of the proposal, saying, “this package shows that the European Commission is aware of the need to foster plastics recycling in Europe, stimulate green jobs and improve waste management across the EU.”

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European Commission proposal as a PDF file