THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS NEW EU WASTE LEGISLATION

On April 18th, the European Parliament voted to formally adopt the revised Waste Legislation Package, which
sets higher targets for waste management on recycling, packaging and landfilling for 2025 and 2030. This
package (which includes the Directive on waste, Directive on the landfill of waste, Directive on packaging and
packaging waste and Directive on end-of-life vehicles and batteries and accumulators) is a key element in the
Circular Economy Action Plan adopted in 2015.

BACKGROUND

In 2013, the total waste generated in the EU amounted to roughly 2,5 million tonnes, of which 1,6
million tonnes were not reused or recycled. Only a limited portion of municipal waste is recycled, the
remaining 31% is landfilled and 26% is incinerated. EU food waste on the other hand is estimated at
88 million tonnes per year. The Waste Package hopes to address these waste management
challenges while also redressing the situation between Member States.

The series of targets set out by the EU mainly focus on reusing valuable waste materials, improving
municipal waste management and waste packaging practices across Member States while further
strengthening the “waste hierarchy” by placing prevention, re-use and recycling ahead of landfilling
and incineration.

WASTE LEGISLATION PACKAGE

The latest version of the Landfill Directive introduces a ban on landfilling for separate waste
collection and sets a 10% or less limit of the total of municipal waste by 2035. The targets for reuse
and recycling of municipal waste have been set to 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035. The Packaging
Directive sets higher targets for the share of packaging waste prepared to be reused and recycled
which are to be met by 2025 and 2030, with 70% of all packaging waste to be recycled by 2030. It
also outlines separate recycling targets for different packaging materials – 55% of plastic, 30% of
wood, 80% of ferrous metals, 60% of aluminium, 75% of glass, 85% of paper and cardboard.

The Waste Framework Directive sets the Union-wide targets of 50% reduction of food waste by 2030,
hazardous waste will be collected separately by 2022, bio-waste by 2023 and textiles by 2025.

More specifically on food waste, Member States are encouraged to undertake measures to
promote the prevention and reduction of food waste in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development. This would comprise raising awareness through national food waste prevention
programmes, as well as implementing a common methodology for measurement to be used in an
annual report on the food waste levels in Member States.

The Directive also calls on Member States to “provide incentives for the collection of unsold food
products at all stages of the food supply chain and for their safe redistribution, including to charitable
organisations. Consumer awareness of the meaning of 'use-by' and 'best-before' dates should also be
improved in order to reduce food waste”. These targets appear as a long-awaited step in the right
direction. However, SAFE fears that these measures appear only as recommendations and there
may be little incentive for certain countries to implement them.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. 1
Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26
1050 Brussels Belgium
+32 (0) 28 93 08 96
www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
RECEPTION

The voted Waste Package promises to deliver economic and environmental benefits, and also vows
to reduce health impacts on European citizens. The proposals have been received rather positively,
both by business association and consumer protection organisations. Packaging manufacturers have
advocated for better definitions and harmonized target implementation. The container glass
federation FEVE called for the recognition of the superior value of permanent materials and
suggested to make separate collection of packaging mandatory across the EU. Plastics Europe
supports the phasing out of landfilling, however warns against setting too ambitious targets on
plastic packaging recycling. Plastic Recyclers Europe, on the other hand, disapproves the lack of
concrete action on plastic recycling.

In a 2016 position paper, 9 NGOs voiced their concerns over the European food waste policy and
called for the re-introduction of EU-specific food waste reduction target of 30%. According to these
organisations, the Directive should also include the farm-to-fork food waste measurement with a
roadmap for bringing in targets for pre-farm gate waste by 2020 and embed the Food Waste
Hierarchy in all food waste reduction measures, while allowing diversion of food waste to livestock
feed. This Is Rubbish released a petition, endorsed by over 125,000 signatories and 67
organisations including SAFE, commending the 50% target to food waste reduction. Nevertheless,
while the methodology for measuring food waste is promising, This Is Rubbish called for even stricter
binding food waste targets from each Member State. Indeed the 50% food waste target sounds
ambiguous and is unclear whether it applies to both retail and consumer waste, which is why SAFE
strongly calls on Member States to set national binding targets for a 50% reduction of food waste
from farm-to-fork by 2030.

NEXT STEPS

The Council is set to vote on the legislation in May 2018 as the following step of the legislative
procedure. Following the formal adoption, the final Directive will be published in the Official Journal
of the European Union and it would enter into force 20 days later. SAFE is hopeful that governments
will adopt these targets and will move towards even more ambitious goals as a part of the Circular
Economy Action Plan.

SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. 2

Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26
1050 Brussels Belgium
+32 (0) 28 93 08 96
www.safefoodadvocacy.eu