Waste legislation overhaul proposals scheduled for later this year
Forthcoming proposals designed to overhaul European Union waste legislation is scheduled for publication later in 2014 and will review several EU directives, and could introduce new waste targets, with the aim of driving greater resource efficiency in line with the 2011 Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe and the Eco-innovation Action Plan.
- Among the directives that contain clauses requiring their review are the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), the Landfill Directive (99/31/EC) and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC).
- The waste policy review is planned to build on the idea that waste-as-resource and resource efficiency must become part of the fundamental structure of EU economic strategy.
Environment commissioner Janez Potocnik has emphasised this throughout his mandate: that environmental goals, including on waste, are best met by disconnecting growth from resource consumption, and by understanding that better environmental performance – for example higher levels of waste reuse and recycling – is directly connected with growth and jobs.
- Resource efficiency is about getting more added value from each unit of resource: each ton of materials, each hectare of land, each joule of energy, each cubic metre of water.
- The concept of the circular economy goes to the core of this and getting rid of the very concept of waste.
- The waste strategy measures on reuse, recycling and the minimisation of residual waste will be a major part of the promotion of the circular economy.
- Waste becomes a resource with economic benefits
More Information
European Commission Review of Waste Policy and Legislation
The Eurostat Environmental Data Centre on Waste
Source: EcoAP
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