Development of an ambitious EU policy and legal framework that assists local and regional authorities in advancing on sustainable waste management and circular economy, with ambitious targets on waste prevention, re-use and recycling; phasing out of incineration, ban on landfilling; harmonised definitions of municipal waste and monitoring of the achievement of waste targets; minimum criteria for extended producer responsibility schemes, reinforced provisions on eco-design (CoR Opinion COR-2014-04083, adopted 02/2015);
Reinforce cooperation with the EU Institutions and key European associations of local and regional authorities in the field, whilst achieving a substantial uptake of the recommendations of the Committee of the Regions' opinion by the European Parliament and Council in their co-decision making.
The Opinion increased the profile and inter-institutional visibility of the CoR in the field of waste management, which represents one of the four key priority areas for the ENVE Commission. In particular, this included the ENVE Commission thematic priority *debate with Environment Commissioner Vella, EP rapporteur Bonafe, and the Netherlands' EU Presidency * held on 21 April 2016. Moreover, the CoR hosted in June 2016 a conference "Towards Zero Waste cities: How local authorities can apply waste prevention policies".
In May 2016, EP rapporteur Simona Bonafè presented her draft reports on the legislative proposals.
In line with amendments proposed by the CoR, the EP rapporteur inserts additional obligations concerning e*xtended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes *(Art. 8a WFD):
Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the waste holders targeted by the EPR schemes are informed not only about the available waste collection systems, but also about take back systems, and reuse centres and recognised preparation for re-use operators (the CoR yet limits this to recognised reuse and permitted preparation for reuse centres);
Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the financial contributions paid by the producer to comply with its EPR obligations are based on optimised costs that reflect the costs borne by public waste management operators when implementing operational tasks on behalf of extended producer responsibility schemes. (the CoR yet further detailed the cost borne by public waste management operators).
Moreover, in line with the CoR amendments and recommendations, the EP rapporteur:
calls for increasing the proposed 2030 re-use and the recycling target for municipal waste from 65% to 70% by weight (yet, the EP rapporteur specifies "by weight of municipal waste generated") (Art. 11 WFD);
foresees in Art 11 WFD, that by 2018, the European Commission shall consider the possibility of setting up preparing for re-use and recycling targets which apply to specific construction and demolition waste to be met by 2025 and 2030 (the CoR requested this by 2020)
provides a definition of "littering" (Art. 3 WFD);
foresees in Art. 5 LFD that by 2018 at the latest, the European Commission shall examine the possibility to introduce a target and restrictions to the landfilling of non-hazardous waste other than municipal waste (the CoR calls on the European Commission to examine the possibility of extending the maximum 10% landfilling target by 2030 to all types of waste).
*Whilst moving into the same direction, the EP rapporteur takes a different approach *then the CoR on the following subjects:
Waste prevention: Whereas the CoR proposes a new EU target in Art. 29 WFD for all Member States to aim at the 10% reduction of municipal waste generated in 2025 compared to 2015 levels and on Art. 9 WFD that Member States shall use absolute targets on waste prevention, the EP rapporteur foresees amendments to Art. 9 that by 2018, the Commission shall examine the possibility of setting up Union-wide waste prevention targets to be met by 2025 and 2030 and to Art 29 WFD that Member States through their waste prevention programmes have to achieve a significant reduction in waste generation and decoupling of waste generation from economic growth;
Food waste: Whereas the CoR proposes a new EU target in Art. 29 WFD for all Member States to reduce food waste by at least 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 compared to 2015 levels; the EP rapporteur foresees an amendment to Art 29 WFD that Member States through their waste prevention programmes have to achieve a 50 % reduction of food waste generation by 2030;
The EP rapporteur is more ambitious then the CoR when in particular tabling amendments which foresee:
EPR schemes to be not allowed to be limited to these areas of territories in which the collection and management of waste are profitable (Art. 8a WFD);
EPR schemes to make publicly available information about their waste prevention targets and waste management targets and their attainment (Art. 8a WFD);
an increase of the preparing for re-use and recycling targets packaging waste for 2025 from 65% to 70% (for paper and cardboard from 75% to 90%), and for 2030 from 75% to 80% (unchanged by the CoR);
in Art 11 WFD an obligatory separate collection for bio-waste, and in Art .22 WFD that Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that , by 2025, the organic recycling of bio-waste from municipal waste shall be increased to a minimum of 65 % by weight, and set up systems for the separate collection at source of bio-waste by 31 December 2020 to ensure the relevant quality standards for compost and digestate; and that the Commission shall by 2018, publish guidance about the setting up of schemes for the collection and treatment of bio-waste (the CoR suggests in Art. 22 WFD some reinforcement of the obligation for separate collection of bio-waste and requests the European Commission together with the Member States to assess, no later than 2018, whether minimum quality criteria should be set for compost and digestate produced from bio-waste)
in Art. 5 PPWD foresees that Member States shall attain a deposit-refund scheme covering the whole of their territory and achieve targets for re-used packaging of a minimum of 5% by weight by 2025 and of 10% by 2030; tables a new Art. 9a WFD on reuse, which obliges Member States to take measures, including quantitative targets, to promote the re-use of products, including the use economic instruments, green procurement criteria; and reinforces Art. 5 PPWD by obliging Member States to encourage reuse systems of packaging (the CoR opinion only in general calls for future separate reuse targets);
in Art. 11 WFD that the European Commission has to examine by 2018 the possibility of setting up of preparing for re-use and recycling targets for non-hazardous industrial waste to be met by 2025 and 2030 (the CoR opinion only recommends that the European Commission has to review the situation of this waste stream and examine such targets by 2020);
in Art. 9 WFD that Member States shall include the development of continuous communication and education campaigns on waste prevention and littering in the waste prevention measures (the CoR only encourages local, regional and national authorities to do so);
in Art. 5 and 5a LFD that Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that by 2030 the amount of municipal waste landfilled is reduced to 5% of the total amount of municipal waste generated, and to accept by 2030 only residual municipal waste in landfills for non-hazardous waste (the CoR recommended in general to eliminate landfilling not only of waste subject to separate collection, but also to recyclable and biodegradable waste).
The ENVE Commission conference "Waste legislation review - regions & cities for a circular economy" on 31 January 2017 will aim at highlighting the expectations of local and regional authorities on the waste legislative proposals towards the European Parliament and the Council in view of their negotiations following the ENVI Committee vote on 24 January 2017.
Many recommendations from the CoR opinion on Legislative proposals amending the waste directives were reflected in the* 1st reading of the European Parliament .* These include:
• extended producer responsibility schemes;
• an increase in the proposed 2030 reuse and recycling tartet for municipal waste (65% to 70%);
• possibility to set reuse and recycling targets for construction and demolition waste by 2025 and 2030;
• a definition of littering;
• a target and restrictions to the landfill of non-hazardous waste other than municipal waste.
On 19 May 2017, the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) agreed on a *Council negotiating mandate. *In comparison to the CoR position and the more ambitious EP position, the negotiating mandate is less ambitious and e.g. lowers the 2025 and 2030 preparing for re-use and recycling targets for municipal and for packaging waste.
.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- recommends reinforcing the proposed common minimum criteria for extended producer responsibility schemes, in particular by detailing the costs they have to cover and by including the obligation to cover litter prevention and collection and clean-up initiatives;
- calls for increasing the proposed 2030 re-use and the recycling target for municipal waste from 65% to 70% by weight;
- calls for a new requirement for Member States to aim at the 10% reduction of municipal waste generated in 2025 compared to 2015 levels and to reduce food waste by at least 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030;
- calls for a new requirement for the European Commission to present a 2030 target for preparing for re-use and recycling of plastic packaging waste within the next few years, and to consider whether recycling targets for specific construction materials to be met by 2025 and 2030 should be set by 2020;
- calls for reinforcing the obligation for separate collection of biowaste and on the European Commission together with the Member States to assess, no later than 2018, whether minimum quality criteria should be set for compost and digestate produced from bio-waste;
- reiterates its call for separate re-use targets, which should be binding, independent and geared to specific waste streams, particularly furniture, fabrics and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE);
- calls on the European Commission to review the situation of non-hazardous industrial waste by 2020, evaluating targets on preparing for re-use and recycling for this waste stream;
- given the notable success of the Covenant of Mayors, proposes that a similar structure on waste management be set up.