PURPOSE: to revise the rules on waste management in order to facilitate Europes transition to a circular economy.
PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with Council.
BACKGROUND: the Commission considers that recent trends suggest that turning waste into a resource is an essential part of increasing resource efficiency and closing the loop in a circular economy. The Unions economy currently loses a significant amount of potential secondary raw materials that are found in waste streams. In 2013, total waste generation in the EU amounted to approximately 2.5 billion tons of which 1.6 billion tons were not reused or recycled and therefore lost for the European economy. It is estimated that an additional 600 million tons could be recycled or reused. By way of example, only a limited share (43%) of the municipal waste generated in the Union was recycled, with the rest being landfilled (31%) or incinerated (26%).
With respect to waste management, the Union also faces large differences amongst its Member States. In 2011, while six Member States landfilled less than 3% of their municipal waste, 18 landfilled over 50%, with some exceeding 90%. This uneven situation needs to be redressed.
The proposal aiming to amend Directive 2008/98/EC on waste is part of a series of measures on the circular economy which also includes proposals to amend:
The proposals build in part on the proposal that the Commission tabled in July 2014 and subsequently withdrew in February 2015. They are in line with the objectives of the Resource Efficiency Roadmap and the 7th Environment Action Programme including:
They also contribute to the implementation of the EU Raw Materials Initiative and address the need to prevent food waste.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT: the impact assessment led to the conclusion that the options envisaged will bring the following benefits:
CONTENT: the proposal to amend Directive 2008/98/EC responds to the legal obligation to review the waste management targets in that Directive to make them better reflect the Union's ambition to move to a circular economy.
The main points are as follows:
Alignment of definitions: it is proposed to include in Directive 2008/98/EC definitions of municipal waste, construction and demolition waste, the final recycling process, and backfilling so that the scope of these concepts is clarified. The definition of municipal waste should be in line with the definition used for statistical purposes by the European Statistical Office and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It is neutral with regard to the public or private status of the operator managing waste.
Economic measures: Member States should put in place adequate incentives for the application of the waste hierarchy, in particular, by means of financial incentives aimed at achieving the waste prevention and recycling objectives of this Directive, such as landfill and incineration charges, pay as you throw schemes, extended producer responsibility schemes and incentives for local authorities.
Waste or non-waste status: the proposal establishes at the Union level harmonised conditions for substances or objects to be recognised as by-products and for waste that has undergone a recovery operation to be recognised as having ceased to be waste.
Producer responsibility schemes: given that the effectiveness of these schemes differ significantly between Member States, the proposal sets minimum operating requirements for extended producer responsibility. Those requirements should:
Waste prevention: Member States should:
Prevention of food waste: Member States should take measures to promote prevention of food waste in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2015, and in particular its target of halving food waste by 2030.
These measures should aim to prevent food waste in primary production, in processing and manufacturing, in retail and other distribution of food, in restaurants and food services as well as in households. Member States should establish specific food waste prevention measures and should measure progress in food waste reduction.
Re-use and recycling: Member States shall take measures:
Municipal waste: the proposal provides for an increase in the targets of preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste, from 60% until 2025 to 65% in 2030.
Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Malta, Romania and Slovakia may obtain five additional years for the attainment of these targets. In the event of an extension, the Member State shall take the necessary measures to increase the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste to a minimum of 50% and 60% by weight, by 2025 and 2030 respectively.
Bio-waste: Member States should ensure the separate collection of bio-waste where technically, environmentally and economically practicable. They should encourage the recycling, including composting, and digestion of bio-waste, the treatment of bio-waste in a way that achieves a high level of environmental protection.
The proposal also provides for:
DELEGATED ACTS: the proposal contains provisions empowering the Commission to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.