MEPs vote for tougher measures on plastic waste

Members of the European Parliament voted in favour of a resolution calling for binding recycling targets for plastic waste, at a plenary session in Strasbourg yesterday (January 14).

MEPs were responding to the European Commissions Green Paper on plastic waste, published in March 2013 (see letsrecycle.com story), which outlined a number of possible measures for reducing the amount of plastic waste being sent to landfill across the continent.

At the vote, MEPs proposed that targets to collect up to 80% of all plastic waste for recycling should be imposed across the EU, while they have also called for a review of the packaging waste directive to be carried out.

They have also called on the European Commission to draw up proposals to phase out the landfilling of recyclable plastic waste, and to discourage it from being sent to energy from waste facilities by 2020.

Rapporteur Vittorio Prodi, from the Italian Partito Democratico, said: Parliament has shown the way to deal with the huge problem of the detrimental impact of plastic waste on the environment and human health. We said today that we want to change bad habits and account for our products, from production through to final disposal.

By putting these products to good use and recycling them as much as possible, we close the loop and give effect to the concept of a circular economy. This will also help to clean up our seas and land, while creating more job opportunities.

Opportunity

According to the MEPs, the economic potential of plastics recycling is largely unexploited in the EU, with only 25% plastic wastes produced by Member States currently being recycled. Full enforcement of EU legislation on waste could save up to 72 billion a year, and boost the annual turnover of waste and recycling firms by around 42 billion.

Approval of the resolution comes as the European Commission is part way through a review of the targets set out in its Directives on waste and recycling.

Results of a consultation into possible changes to the targets, published last week by waste consultancy Eunomia, revealed that more than three quarters of stakeholders would favour an increase in recycling targets beyond existing levels (see letsrecycle.com story).

Eunomia is to establish a number of proposals for future target levels based on the findings of the consultation, which are expected to be completed in spring 2014.