FEAD calls for circular economy ‘pull’ focus

This was the message from the European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD) this week – as the due date for the new EU-led proposals draws closer.

In a letter addressed to European Commission first-vice president Frans Timmermans, FEAD president David Palmer-Jones outlined what measures to increase reuse and recycling the organisation hopes to see included in the package when it is released on December 2.

In it, he calls for the targets to remain harmonised at EU level, with ‘longer transition periods’ and ‘additional support’ for some member states where necessary. This remains in line with current thinking that the package could include ‘staggered’ recycling targets for EU nations.

Supply

Mr Palmer-Jones notes that the original package unveiled by former Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik scrapped in autumn 2014 was too focused on the ‘supply side’.

He added that proposals to ban recyclable waste from landfill by 2025, as well as the much-debated 70% recycling target for all EU member states by 2030, would mean a disproportionate supply of secondary raw materials against actual demand.

FEAD calls for ‘much more emphasis on the demand side’ in the new set of proposals with a focus on pull mechanisms. Specifically, these include:

• Minimum recycled content requirements for selected products;
• Minimum green public procurement requirements at EU level to boost purchase of recycled products and materials;
• Eco-labelling rules to incorporate indications of recycled content and recyclability;
• Lower or zero rate of VAT on second hand goods and products with recycled content.

Commenting on targets, Mr Palmer-Jones wrote: “FEAD’s position is that only wastes for which no environmentally sound or economically practicable recycling or recovery operations exist should be landfilled. At the same time, landfilling should remain available for those wastes where it is the best overall environmental option.

“Based on a binding landfill diversion target set at EU level, Member States can still apply the most appropriate instruments for their specific situation in order to reduce the landfilling of waste.”

Output

He added: “If the cost of collecting and sorting secondary raw materials outweighs the output value of that material, it could become uneconomic to collect and process much of Europe’s recyclable waste.”

The FEAD message echoes other industry voices that have raised caution of adopting blanket recycling targets across EU member states.

In its response to the Commission’s consultation on the package last month, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) warned that recycling targets failed to influence the deeper-seated issues of high consumption levels (see letsrecycle.com story).