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On 18 December 2017, the European Parliament and Council came to a provisional agreement on four legislative proposals regarding waste. The agreed rules will establish binding waste reduction targets and will amend rules with the aim to decrease waste generation, improve controls on waste management, promote product reuse and increase recycling success across the EU.
Under these proposals, manufacturers/producers would be responsible for the collection, sorting and treatment of used goods for their recycling.
The agreed rules would amend six pieces of legislation:
1. Waste framework directive - proposal;
2. Packaging waste directive - proposal;
3. Landfill directive - proposal;
4. Directive on electrical and electronic waste - proposal;
5. Directive on end-of-life vehicles - proposal; and
6. Directive on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators - proposal.
According to the release, the key elements of the agreed text include:
• Clearer definitions of key waste concepts;
• New binding targets at the EU level for waste reduction to be met by 2025, 2030, and 2035, including specific targets for municipal policies regarding various packaging materials;
• Stricter methods and rules to calculate the progress made towards those targets;
• Stricter requirements for the separate collection of waste, reinforced implementation of the waste hierarchy through economic instruments and additional measures for member states to prevent waste generation; and
• Minimum requirements for extended producer responsibility schemes.
The final analysis and approval of this package is expected from the Council in the first quarter of 2018.
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