calls on the European Commission to adopt a landfill ban on plastics and highly-combustible waste by 2020, and to introduce specific and ambitious targets for prevention, preparation for re-use and recycling of plastic waste, to be harmonised in all relevant directives, and reflecting the environmental weightings for the materials; intermediate targets and transitional periods could be envisaged and negotiated with the Member States;
asks the European Commission to consider funding future infrastructure that recycles plastic effectively and to cease funding for landfill and incineration; EU funding should only be allocated to energy recovery facilities that form part of a coherent waste management strategy, which includes sufficient facilities for the earlier stages in the waste hierarchy;
calls for a full implementation of the "polluter pays" principle and on the European Commission to study the best way of applying extended producer responsibility in the EU. The payment of a deposit and take-back schemes are paths which should be followed at EU level for certain plastic products and products containing plastics. The "pay-as-you-throw" principle for bulky articles should be encouraged with collection methods determined by LRAs. In addition to providing incentives for re-use, a ban on the free provision of plastic carrier bags is should be considered;
considers that in design, the use of a limited number of single plastics not combined with other materials, and a clear statement of the type of plastic on packaging and products are important to facilitate their re-use and recycling; advocates a mandatory minimum recycled content in future design;
calls for an international agreement on a ban on the use of decomposable plastic micro beads for cosmetic use and other personal products to prevent this relatively new source of pollution entering the food chain; believes that there is considerable evidence to call for a ban on oxo-degradable plastic until further research establishes it has added value.
The Opinion has increased the profile, inter-institutional role and visibility of the CoR in the field, in particular:
The opinion allowed the CoR to pro-actively feed at an early stage the concerns of the EU's local and regional authorities into the preparations of the European Commission of its legislative proposal for a Directive on light-weight plastic carrier-bags of end of 2013, and for the preparations of its Circular Economy Package, including the review of EU waste Directives launched in 2014.
The activities of the rapporteur and of the CoR secretariat have contributed to increasing the profile, inter-institutional role and visibility of the CoR in the field, in particular the participation of the EP rapporteur in the ENVE Commission and the presentation given by the rapporteur at a European Parliament event on the subject hosted by the EP rapporteur, the very good press coverage reached for the Opinion and the close cooperation achieved with the European Commission on the “Let’s clean up Europe” initiative in 2014.
The European Commission Proposal for a Directive to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic bags in the EU, COM(2013) 761 final, adopted on 4 November 2013, reflected some elements of the CoR Opinion on concerning single-use disposable plastics. For example, the proposal provided for a framework for the voluntary initiatives at national level, including take-back responsibility for retailers. However, the proposal did not reflect the CoR recommendation to consider "a ban on the free provision of plastic carrier bags".
The legislative proposal was subject to a separate opinion of the CoR – for further CoR impact, see the relevant rolling planning chart (ENVE-V-043).
The European Commission on 2 July 2014 adopted its "Circular Economy Package", which included a horizontal Communication “Towards a circular economy” and a legislative proposal that revises several waste Directives.
The Communication reflects some recommendations of the CoR Opinion, in particular concerning:
• the ceasing of EU funding for landfill and incineration, with EU funding only be allocated to energy recovery if this forms part of a coherent waste management strategy, which includes sufficient facilities for the earlier stages in the waste hierarchy;
• the introduction of an aspirational target of reducing marine litter by 30 % by 2020 for the ten most common types of litter found on beaches, as well as for fishing gear found at sea, with the list adapted to each of the four marine regions in the EU.
The legislative proposal reflects several key recommendations of the CoR Opinion, in particular concerning:
• phase out of landfilling of recyclable and biodegradable waste by 2025 (CoR called yet for a landfill ban on plastics and highly-combustible waste by 2020);
• reinforced extended producer responsibility, and accelerated systematic introduction of economic instruments in waste management by the Member States and LRA by promoting economic instruments in the waste management plans and compliance plans and by introducing minimum requirements for extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes;
• increased targets for plastic packaging waste;
• newly proposed provisions that waste management plans have to include measures to combat littering, and that Member States shall address with their enforcement also littering.
However, the following recommendations of the CoR opinion were not reflected by the European Commission Communication and legislative proposal:
• introducing specific and ambitious targets for prevention, preparation for re-use and recycling of plastic waste, to be harmonised in all relevant directives, with plastic recycling targets reflecting the environmental weightings for the materials;
• limiting in design the use to a number of single plastics not combined with other materials, providing with a clear statement of the type of plastic on packaging and products to facilitate their re-use and recycling;
• a mandatory minimum recycled content in future design;
• ban oxo-degradable plastic until further research establishes it has added value.
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- calls on the European Commission to adopt a landfill ban on plastics and highly-combustible waste by 2020, and to introduce specific and ambitious targets for prevention, preparation for re-use and recycling of plastic waste, to be harmonised in all relevant directives, and reflecting the environmental weightings for the materials; intermediate targets and transitional periods could be envisaged and negotiated with the Member States;
- asks the European Commission to consider funding future infrastructure that recycles plastic effectively and to cease funding for landfill and incineration; EU funding should only be allocated to energy recovery facilities that form part of a coherent waste management strategy, which includes sufficient facilities for the earlier stages in the waste hierarchy;
- calls for a full implementation of the "polluter pays" principle and on the European Commission to study the best way of applying extended producer responsibility in the EU. The payment of a deposit and take-back schemes are paths which should be followed at EU level for certain plastic products and products containing plastics. The "pay-as-you-throw" principle for bulky articles should be encouraged with collection methods determined by LRAs. In addition to providing incentives for re-use, a ban on the free provision of plastic carrier bags is should be considered;
- considers that in design, the use of a limited number of single plastics not combined with other materials, and a clear statement of the type of plastic on packaging and products are important to facilitate their re-use and recycling; advocates a mandatory minimum recycled content in future design;
- calls for an international agreement on a ban on the use of decomposable plastic micro beads for cosmetic use and other personal products to prevent this relatively new source of pollution entering the food chain; believes that there is considerable evidence to call for a ban on oxo-degradable plastic until further research establishes it has added value.