In adopting the report by Mrs Kirsten JENSEN (PSE, DK), Parliament called on the Commission
to present an action programme on Community waste management in 1997 pursuant to Article
130s(3) of the EC Treaty setting out priority waste policy objectives and measures. It called for the
drawing up of a proper waste strategy based on the principle of sustainable development, which
respects the hierarchy of prevention, recovery, recycling, recovery of materials, energy recovery and
final disposal. This strategy should allow 50% recycling/reuse of paper, glass and plastics and a
stabilization of waste production of 300 kg per capita per year by the year 2000.
It would also be necessary:
- to avoid 'waste tourism', including the shipment of waste for incineration with recovery of energy;
- to take steps aimed at introducing uniform taxes on tipping and environment-friendly incineration;
- to outlaw mixed landfilling;
- to promote a market for the recovery of waste by putting forward proposals for the taxation of
virgin raw materials and for the internalization of environmental costs in order to enforce the
'polluter pays' principle and the principle of pollution prevention at source;
- to reduce the presence of hazardous substances in waste such as chlorine, mercury, PVC, cadmium
and other heavy metals.
Parliament called for an environmental liability Directive; it also called for application of the
principle of shared responsibility for waste management, by virtue of which all public and private
entities must have a role in waste management.
It urged the Commission to present:
- before the end of 1996, a Directive for the marking of packaging which includes mandatory
reusability or recyclability of 'recycled content';
- in the first half of 1997, an Incineration of Non-hazardous waste Directive in order to achieve a
90% reduction of dioxin emissions in the EU by the year 2005;
- a Directive on aqueous discharge from hazardous waste.
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