Following a second reading of the Directive that began on Monday (June 16) in Strasbourg, MEPs voted to support the revised document, complete with a series of amendments that had been suggested by the Parliament earlier in the legislative process (see letsrecycle.com story).
To encourage higher standards of recycling and the marketing of better-quality recyclables, the European Parliament's setting of conditions for 'waste to cease to be waste' is much needed
Ross Bartley, Bureau of International Recycling
Key points within the revised Directive include setting all EU member states recycling targets of 50% for household waste and 70% for construction and demolition waste by 2020, as well as a clarified definition on 'end of waste' status, and incineration of municipal solid waste being classed as 'recovery', but only if it meets specific energy efficiency standards.
Support for the Parliament's decision came from the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), who claimed that the revised Directive would help EU countries to work towards a “recycling society”.
Ross Bartley, environmental and technical director at BIR, said: “The Bureau of International Recycling had, since the 1990's, been promoting the need for a legal process to determine when waste ceases to be waste.
“Early waste management laws defined so easily what constituted waste. But now, to encourage higher standards of recycling and the marketing of better-quality recyclables, the European Parliament's setting of conditions for 'waste to cease to be waste' is much needed,” he added.
Plastics
Industry bodies also backed the agreement, with PlasticsEurope, the association of European plastics manufacturers, particularly welcoming the definition of recycling contained within the revised Directive, and stating that the Directive “recommends flexibility in the application of the waste hierarchy”.
“Treatment can deviate from the hierarchy, says the revised directive, if this is justified from a life-cycle perspective,” the association explained.
“Flexibility to use the best environmental and economic option for each waste stream will contribute to resource efficiency and climate protection,” it added.
And, PlasticsEurope advocacy director, Jan-Erik Johansson, also praised the Directive's classification of energy-efficient Energy-from-Waste plants as 'recovery'.
“Together with the Landfill Directive, this classification will create strong drivers in Member States to divert waste from landfill,” he said. “Given the scarcity of energy resources, we need to make use of every viable complement to fossil fuels.”
Chemicals
His sentiments were echoed by the UK's Chemical Industries Association, who claimed that the vote would offer clarity on what the chemical industry should class as either a waste or by-product during manufacturing processes.
Dr Anne-Gealle Collot, their environmental protection policy advisor, said that the vote “makes sense for the environment, being able to use our by-products means the chemical industry can use fewer virgin resources and contribute less to landfill”.
“We are looking forward to working with UK government to implement this new way forward,” she added.
Environmental groups
However, the Parliament's decision was less well-received by environmental groups, with Friends of the Earth (FOE) labelling the recycling targets as “inadequate” and criticising the absence of waste prevention targets in the revised Directive.
Dr Michael Warhurst, of FOE Europe, said: “This vote gives the EU its first ever general recycling targets; however, they are too low to address the urgency of resource and climate threats. They also exclude too many significant waste streams and will be difficult to enforce.
“The Commission must now work hard to gather the information necessary so when targets are reviewed in 2014, they are made stronger, matching best practice around Europe,” he added.
And, Nathalie Cliqout, waste policy officer at the European Environmental Bureau, called for the introduction of Europe-wide waste prevention targets as soon as possible.
“Everyone understands that increasing waste and sustainable development do not go together, yet pressure from EU governments led to postponing discussions for common prevention targets until 2014,” she explained.
“Nevertheless, governments are required to implement waste prevention programmes and the Commission has the difficult task of ensuring that they deliver – it should swiftly propose common prevention targets,” she added.
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