Defra allays fears over 50% European recycling target

It was suggested last week that that the target, which was one of a number of amendments to the Directive backed by MEPs last month, might exclude both green waste and food waste.

If that was the case, it could create difficulties for the UK, with many more rural local authorities collecting just as much, if not more, green and food waste than they do dry recyclables.

However, in a statement yesterday (July 9), Defra sought to allay concerns that green and food waste will not be covered by the 50% target, offering its interpretation of the proposed new targets.

It said: “Defra does not believe that the wording of the proposed new targets for recycling of household and similar wastes (as contained in the text of the revised Waste Framework Directive adopted by the European Parliament last month) would exclude green waste and food waste recycling from households, provided that the waste is genuinely recycled within the terms of the revised WFD.”

The concerns relate to Article 11, paragraph 2 of the revised Directive, which states that: “By 2020 the preparing for reuse and the recycling of waste materials such as at least paper, metal, plastic and glass from household and possibly from other origins as far as these waste streams are similar to waste from households, shall be increased to a minimum of overall 50% by weight.”

Defra also commented on the possibility of 50% recycling rates for each of the materials and said such a move was unlikely. The department said: “The UK would interpret the new EU target as meaning that 50% of household waste in total has to be recycled by 2020, rather than 50% of each of the four named materials, i.e. paper, metal, plastic and glass”.

The Department is currently in the process seeking clarification from the European Union over specific aspects of the revised WFD before deciding whether the UK will support it (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, it now needs only to be approved by the EU Council of Ministers to become law, and a spokesman for the Council has stated that when member states do consider the WFD, in October, it will be a “formality”.