European Parliament
approves amendments to EU revision of Waste Framework Directive
On Tuesday 13th February the European
Parliament debated and voted upon the EU Revision to the Waste Framework Directive and the
Thematic Strategy on the Recycling of Waste.
On the opening day of February’s plenary
session, the European Parliament approved the amendments to the Waste Framework Directive
as proposed by the Commission. MEPs voted by 651 votes to 19 (16 abstaining)
to adopt the proposal within the report as presented by the rapporteur, Dr. Caroline
Jackson, who is the British MEP leading Parliament’s negotiation of the Directive.
Amendments include the use of a five stage-hierarchy with Member States required to
take measures in descending order of priority, for:
1.
the prevention and reduction of waste
2.
the re-use of waste
3.
the recycling of waste
4.
other recovery operations
5.
the safe and environmentally sound disposal of waste
In addition, the importance of individual producer
responsibility to ensure that producers take into account the life-cycle impacts of their
products and to develop appropriate design was formalized through the inclusion of the
polluter pays principle
To move towards a ‘European Recycling Society’,
MEPs called for binding targets on waste reduction so that “by 2020 Member States
shall achieve at least an overall re-use and recycling level of 50% for Municipal Solid
Waste and 70% for construction, demolition, industrial and manufacturing waste.”
In addition, it was approved that “by 2015, Member States shall set up
separate waste collection schemes for at least the following: Paper, metal, plastic,
glass, textiles and other biodegradable waste, oil and hazardous wastes.”
Other measures to the Directive include the
requirement of Member States to draw up national waste prevention programmes and the
decision that incinerators will be able to qualify as recovery plants, but with no formula
or efficiency criteria applied to this. Additionally, the European Parliament voted
for the strategy to include less use of landfill sites.
To see the amendments adopted by the European
Parliament last week, please follow link http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P6-TA-2007-0029+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN
For further information on the revision to the Directive of Waste, please follow link http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/file.jsp?id=5303132
Votes on the Thematic Strategy on Waste Prevention
and Recycling added provisions for the ban of landfilling materials such as glass,
textiles, metals and plastics from 2012, and a total landfill ban on recyclable materials
from 2020. For further information on the Thematic Strategy on the prevention and
recycling of waste, please follow link http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/strategy.htm
Source: Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Waste Group
