Current Developments in EU Waste Policy:Implementation and Review

MWE & COR Conference

From Recovered Resources to Economic Recovery

Brussels, 26 November 2013

Julius Langendorff

European Commission, DG Environment

Objectives of EU Waste Policy

• Central message in RE Roadmap and 7th EAP: manage waste as a (valuable) resource, in the circular economy

• Key waste-related objectives:

• Full implementation of EU waste legislation based on waste hierarchy

• Waste generated per capita and absolute waste generation in decline

• Energy recovery limited to non-recyclable materials

• Phasing out landfilling (limited to non-recyclable and non-recoverable) waste

• More systematic use of market based instruments including EPR

Economic opportunities

Findings in 2012 Commission study:

Waste management and recycling industries in the EU turnover of €145 billion (2008)

Around 1% of the EU's GDP and 2 million jobs

Full compliance with EU policy = 400.000 jobs and extra turnover of € 42 billion

Objectives of the Roadmap on Resource Efficiency = 526.000 jobs and extra turnover of €55 billion

Source: Eurostat 2012

Source: Eurostat 2012

Municipal Waste Management in MS

The need for action: implementation

• Promote implementation of existing EU waste legislation:

• - Compliance assistance (MS with largest implementation gaps)

• - Promote use of economic instruments

• - Targeted use of structural and cohesion funds

• - Legal action

• - Recommendations in the COM’s Annual Growth Survey

The need for action: reviewing EU waste policy

The three components of the on-going review:

Review of targets in three Directives ("targets review"): Waste Framework Directive, Landfill Directive, Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive

Ex-post evaluation ("fitness check"): focus on five "mature" EU waste stream directives (sewage sludge, PCB/PCT, packaging waste, end-of-life-vehicles and batteries)

Follow-up to Green Paper on Plastic Waste

Targets Review - Issues

• What scope for more ambitious reuse & recycling targets? And for landfill reduction targets or bans?

• What scope to improve calculation methods and statistics?

• What scope for simplification (e.g. aligning definitions)?

• How to promote use of essential instruments (e.g. planning, economic instruments, EPR schemes, eco-design)?

Fitness check

• Key features of the ex-post evaluation ("fitness check"): scope and questions to be addressed:

• - Focus on the five oldest EU waste stream directives (sewage sludge, PCB/PCT, packaging waste, end-of-life-vehicles and batteries)

• - Evaluation of "effectiveness", "efficiency"(cost-effectiveness), "coherence" and "relevance"

• On-going stakeholder consultation – Commission Staff Working Paper in 2014

Plastic Waste

• Green Paper - four key messages:

• - Improve product design

• - Internalise costs of plastics production

• - Use plastics more sustainably

• - Improve collection and recycling rates

• Reducing consumption & littering of plastic bags

Thank you for your attention

Additional sources of information:

DG ENV “waste” website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment//waste/index.htm

Study on Economic Instruments: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/use.htm

Additional study on EPR: http://epr.eu-smr.eu/

Public consultation on target review: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/waste_targets_en.htm