Europe seeking new recycling and waste prevention targets

Stakeholders are being invited to respond to the consultation by November 30, 2003, before a Thematic Strategy is drafted and presented in 2004.

The main European directive promoting sustainable waste management in the UK is currently the Landfill Directive, which seeks to cut Member States' landfill rates to 75% of 1995 waste levels by 2010, 50% by 2013 and 35% by 2020. But the Commission believes new measures and targets are required to turn the European Union “towards a recycling economy”.

Commenting on the consultation, environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom said: “To save resources and avoid pollution, the Commission is determined to put new focus on waste prevention and recycling. We obviously need new targets and measures, but I want to be sure that we base them on the best available knowledge. That is why we are launching a broad consultation process. I hope stakeholders will provide us with their comments and ideas.”

The consultation, Towards a Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste, aims to draw information on two main areas:

• Fixing quantitative targets for waste prevention – including the possible use of national Waste Prevention Plans, the use of low-waste production techniques by industry and the broadening of Best Practice identified by the Commission in successful individual Member States to application at an EU level.
• Using market forces to recycle more – including possible recycling targets for materials (alongside existing producer responsibility areas), bringing the costs of recycling in line with other forms of waste treatment and promoting new and best available technology in the recycling industry.

The Commission sees market-based approaches as the “most efficient way of starting a waste production diet”, to bring the costs of incineration or landfill much more level to those of recycling waste.

The average European currently produces 550kg of waste each year, far beyond the 330kg target of the EU's fifth Environment Action Programme. The new Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste will be one of seven Thematic Strategies forming the EU's sixth Environment Action Programme.

Comments on the European Commission's consultation, Towards a Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste, can be emailed to: env-waste-strategy@cec.eu.int

For a full copy of the consultation document, click here.