Waste: elimination of polychlorinated biphenyls PCB and polychlorinated terphenyls PCT

Adopting the report by Mr David HOWE (PSE, UK), the European Parliament approved at second reading the Council's common position on the directive on the disposal of PCB/PCT. In its amendments, Parliament considered however that: - there was a need to fund research into other methods of disposal of PCBs and PCTs and other persistent organic chlorines, in particular methods involving bacterial biodegradation and pretreatment using chlorine extraction and innovative dehalogenation chemical processes; - having regard to technical progress, the maximum limit for the PCB and PCT content of mixtures to be used as combustibles, including waste oil, should be reduced to 20 ppm. Lastly, the European Parliament stressed that violations concerning the disposal of PCBs and equipment containing PCBs should be effectively penalized by the Member States.�