European Environment Agency could take bigger role

And, it suggests the Commission itself could carry out audits of inspection regimes of member states according to agreed standards.

However, the document advises against the establishment of a dedicated body to tackle waste crime, as championed in a Commissionstudy in 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story), as it says this would cost a lot more and take longer to deliver benefits.

The Implementing EU waste legislation for green growth report was produced by BIO Intelligence Services on behalf of theCommission to look at ways the EU can help members states achieve a more effective and consistent implementation of EU waste law.

The study found that, while illegal waste operations in member states are causing missed opportunities for economic growth, stronger national inspections and better knowledge about waste management would bring major improvements.

It estimates that full implementation of EU waste legislation would save 72 billion (60 billion) a year, increase the annual turnover of the EU waste management and recycling sector by 42 billion (35 billion) and create over 400,000 jobs by 2020.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potonik said: “We need to see waste as a resource and to bury that resource in the ground is worse than short-sighted. This report shows that waste management and recycling can make a big contribution to economic growth and job creation. If the existing legislation was implemented properly, we could avoid costly clean-up operations, pollution and health problems. And let’s not forget that recycled materials are cheaper than virgin ones and that they reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on imports.”

Analysis

The study analyses a number of case studies in Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands to demonstrate economic, financial and social benefits to member states.

It claims the EU’s waste management and recycling sector is very dynamic, but still offers economic opportunities with vast potential for expansion. In 2008, its 145 billion (120 billion) turnover represented around 1% of the EU’s GDP and two million jobs. Compliance with EU policy would help create a sector with 2.4 million jobs and a total annual turnover of 187 billion, it says.

The report identifies a number of barriers to development including a lack adequate infrastructure for separate collection, recycling and recovery, an absence of systematic control and enforcement mechanisms and a lack of reliable data on waste management.

Conclusions

Four key conclusions of the report are:

• More information about waste is needed – including data and systematic monitoring of how the laws work in practice. Progress has been made in this respect, with a specific Data Centre on Waste recently set up by Eurostat.
• Better use of the polluter pays principle, and wider use of economic instruments like raising the costs of disposal, could help ensure compliance and provide the necessary financial resources for waste management.
• Inspection and monitoring capabilities need to be strengthened in member states. This could mean establishing an auditing capacity at EU level and, possibly, common inspection standards.
• A relatively cost-effective option to strengthen implementation monitoring at EU level could be to draw on the expertise and capabilities of the European Environment Agency (EEA). This option would carry lower administrative costs than creating a new agency dedicated to waste. At present, the Agency concentrates on data collection from member states.

The study’s conclusions will be discussed and analysed by the Commission. They will serve as grounds for developing a balanced mix of legal and economic instruments as suggested in the Roadmap for a Resource Efficient Europe and the Thematic Strategy on Waste Prevention.