The European Parliament and Council of Ministers are currently at loggerheads over Dutch MEP Dorette Corbey's proposed amendments to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. The amendments call for much tougher European targets on packaging waste recycling and recovery than are called for by the existing regulations.
In a vote held last week, the committee accepted by 40 votes to 12, with one abstention, the Council of Ministers' position on the recycling and recovery targets:
- Overall recovery: 60% minimum (by weight)
- Overall recycling: 55% minimum
- Material specific targets: glass 60%; paper 60%; metals 50%; plastics 22.5% and wood 15%.
It is thought likely that the full assembly of the European Parliament will accept these target amounts in the second reading to be held in early July, 2003. However, in its final vote before the second reading, the Parliament's Environment Committee held out for its original wish for the targets to be achieved by 2006. Greece, Ireland and Portugal should have to achieve the targets by 2009, it said.
The Council of Ministers, consisting of government ministers from each EU Member State, had demanded that the date for these targets to be achieved be pushed back to December 31, 2008.
If the full session of Parliament agrees with its environment committee, European officials expect the following conciliation process to drag on into the autumn. A spokesperson for the European Parliament told letsrecycle.com that she expects the Council of Ministers to refuse Parliament's 2006 date, holding out for 2008 or a possible compromise date of 2007.
A recent letsrecycle.com report shows that even with a 2008 deadline, the waste sector in the UK will face challenging increases in annual targets. If the deadline is moved forward a year, the chances of the UK failing to meet its obligations will rise dramatically. A deadline of 2006 will reduce the UK's chances significantly further still.
Additions
The European Parliament environment committee also added a new clause to the amendments that would mean from January 1, 2004, new packaging can only be placed on the market if the producer has sought to minimise its environmental impact as much as possible. This applies to packaging for both new and existing products.
The committee also demanded that packaging waste exported from the EU should only count towards targets if the exporter proves the recovery process met the same conditions as those laid down by European regulations.
MEPs on the committee also debated the definition of packaging. It was decided that items would be classified as packaging unless it is an “integral part of a durable product” necessary to “contain, support or preserve that product”.
This means that CD and video cases “for short term use” will be regarded as packaging, but flower pots will not, “unless they are added just to assist sales”. Wrapping paper sold separately would also be exempt from recovery regulations, MEPs decided.
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