DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 1 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption Opportunities to improve the EU framework for waste management Otto Linher, European Commission DG Environment

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 2 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption Why is waste a problem? l lContinued growth of the waste mountain  around 1500 Mt of waste (excluding agricultural waste) F3.5 tonnes per capita and year  growth by 15% while GDP grew by 10%  around 240 Mt of municipal waste F540 kg per capita and year l lEnvironmental impacts of waste  Air pollutants and greenhouse gases  Leachates  Long term heritage of landfills and contaminated sites  Disamenity (noise, odour etc.)  Resource loss and avoidable impacts of virgin materials production

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 3 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption Why do we need Community policy on waste? Isn’t waste a local issue? l lNational and local authorities remain the key actors to implement good waste management l lHowever, good waste management is difficult if other regions offer lower quality waste management at cheaper prices   If we want to improve waste management effectively, the same standards need to apply everywhere

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 4 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption Community waste legislation today: l lBasic rules  Waste Framework Directive 75/442/EEC  Hazardous Waste Directive 91/689/EEC  Waste lists (Decision 2000/532/EC)  Waste Shipment Regulation 259/93 l lWaste disposal installations  Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC  Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/EC l lWaste stream specific legislation  Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC  End of Life Vehicles Directive 2000/53/EC  WEEE 2002/96/EC and RoHS 2002/95/EC  Waste Oils Directive 75/439/EEC  Batteries Directive 91/157/EEC  Sewage Sludge Directive 86/278/EEC  PCB/PCT Directive 96/59/EC

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 5 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption What have we achieved and what do we need to improve? - 6th Environment Action Programme (1)   We have managed to significantly reduce environmental impacts of waste management  No overview available but: FWaste Incineration Directive will reduce dioxin emissions from waste incineration by more than 99% (if fully implemented) FLandfill Directive will reduce methane emissions and leachates to soil to a small fraction of earlier levels (if fully implemented) FRecycling Directives achieve significant resource savings and reduction of environmental impacts related to production of virgin material and waste disposal

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 6 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption What have we achieved and what do we need to improve? - 6th Environment Action Programme (2)   However, we have not managed to reduced waste generation...  link to production and consumption patterns  what goes into the economy sooner or later comes out as waste   …hence the need for more focus on resource management  Thematic Strategy on Resources Fwhy is resource use a problem? Fthe use of which resources is a problem? Fwhat priorities to set and with which measures to achieve objectives/targets to be set?  Integrated Product Policy Fhow can we improve production and consumption patterns? Fwhat products/product groups to prioritise?

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 7 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption Thematic Strategy on Waste Prevention and Recycling lWaste prevention  What works and what does not work?  Prevention targets?  Link to Integrated Product Policy lRecycling  Improve the legal framework for recycling (definitions, recycling standards etc.)  How to follow up producer responsibility

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 8 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption Thematic Strategy on Waste Prevention and Recycling lModernise lSimplify (end of waste, definition of recovery) lReinforce where needed: waste prevention actions and recycling standards lExplanation provided in: (short) Communication + (long) Impact Assessment, + a ‘story book’ lImmediate action:  Revise waste framework Directive  Integrate hazardous waste Directive  Repeal waste oils Directive

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 9 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption How does this link to producer responsibility (1)? l lRecycling targets and producer responsibility obligations have proved to be an important factor to create stable financing for recycling l lStill, much needs to be done to implement recycling programs and to achieve the targets set...

A Decade for Change Inc/co-inc emission limits Hazardous waste landfills WEEE + ELV targets IPPC permits Pckg targets Non-haz waste landfills Final ELV targets Landfill diversion Final landfill diversion PCBs destroyed Landfill: - Tyres Ban - Acceptance criteria 2005: Thematic Strategy

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 11 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption How does this link to producer responsibility (2)?... l lTherefore, for the moment the focus is on implementation rather than setting or revising legislation   In the long run, material specific approaches and targets at Community level may be options for simplification and more market orientation

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 12 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The Planned Commission Report on the Implementation of the Packaging Directive:  Evaluation of impact on environment and Internal Market  Prevention: essential requirements, packaging environment indicator, prevention plans  Re-use  Producer responsibility  Heavy metals and other hazardous substances

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 13 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The preparatory work for the Commission Report:  ECOLAS/PIRA study on the implementation of the Packaging Directive and options to strengthen prevention and reuse  final_report.pdf (main report)  final_%20report_annexes.pdf (annexes)  ntation_background.htm (information on the stakeholder consultation, including the comments received on the draft final report).  Perchards/FFact study on the progress of the implementation and impact of the Packaging Directive on the functioning of the Internal Market  report_packaging_direct.pdf  EEA pilot study on the effectiveness of packaging waste management systems in selected countries  Covers Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, United Kingdom, available on: 

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 14 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The impact of the Directive on packaging recovery and recycling l lPackaging recovery and incineration at waste incineration plants with energy recovery increased from 31.0 Mt in 1997 (53%) to 41.4 Mt in 2002 (62%) l lPackaging recycling increased from 27.2 Mt in 1997 (46%) to 36.1 Mt in 2002 (55%) l lAll of the 75 applicable recovery and recycling targets for the various Member States were met in 2002

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 15 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The 2003 recovery and recycling rates Recovery 50% Recycling 25% Glass 15% Paper 15% Metals 15% Plastics 15% Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece (2002) Ireland (2002) Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Portugal (2002) Slovak Republic Spain Sweden United Kingdom

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 16 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The effects of packaging recovery and recycling on the environment l lPositive effects on most environmental parameters, including:  Savings of around 10 million tons of oil equivalent  around 1 million as a direct result of the packaging directive  Savings of around 25 million tons of CO 2 equivalent  around 0.6% of total EU15 greenhouse gas emissions in 2002  around 3 million as a direct result of the packaging directive

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 17 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The costs of packaging recovery and recycling l lTotal cost of packaging waste management  No recovery: 6.17 bn €  Baseline scenario: 6.6 bn €  Packaging Directive 6.8 bn € Fof which: financing need for recycling 3.7 bn € sgross cost 5.3 bn € srevenue from sale of secondary material 1.6 bn € FCost for incineration with energy recovery 0.55 bn € FCost for disposal of remaining packaging waste 2.3 bn € FAdditional cost as a result of the Packaging Directive: 227 m €

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 18 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The costs of packaging recovery and recycling

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 19 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The costs of packaging recovery and recycling l lCurrent packaging recycling is not substantially more expensive than costs of alternative disposal l lHowever:  Costs vary significantly between materials and applications Ffor some materials and applications recycling is clearly cheaper than disposal Ffor some materials and applications recycling is disproportionately expensive Fin the middle ground recycling costs are comparable to disposal costs   Packaging recycling policy has stabilized recycling where it was previously almost profitable and/or characterized by fluctuating commodity prices for secondary material

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 20 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption Is packaging recycling a cost-efficient instrument for environmental protection? l lCost of reducing 1 ton of CO 2 -equivalent through packaging recycling is estimated as rising from 12 €/t in 1997 to 23 €/t in 2001  This compares to a current market value of around 22.7 €/t  However, these figures are very sensitive to variations in recycling and disposal costs  They vary significantly depending on materials and applications  The cost does not only relate to reductions of greenhouse gas emissions but also to reductions in other environmental impact categories   Costs for packaging recycling are in the same order of magnitude as the cheapest alternatives to achieve the same environmental benefit

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 21 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The impact of national policies on packaging prevention l lMember States have used various concepts to encourage packaging prevention  enforcement of essential requirements  packaging prevention plans  strong producer responsibility obligations  prevention targets  awareness-raising programmes etc.

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 22 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The impact of national policies on packaging prevention l lIn most Member States, there seems to be some relative de-coupling of packaging waste growth from GDP  these prevention policies may have contributed to this de- coupling but it remains uncertain how much is due to market forces and how much a result of policy  however, none of the applied policy instruments has achieved a dramatic change in packaging put on the market  none of the instruments seems to be clearly better than the other instruments

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 23 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The impact of the Directive on packaging prevention l lGeneration of packaging waste has increased from 59.8 Mt in 1997 to 66.3 Mt in 2002 (+10.9%)

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 24 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The impact of prevention plans on packaging prevention Spain Netherlands EU 15 Belgium Italy

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 25 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The impact of the enforcement of essential requirements on packaging prevention United Kingdom EU 15 France

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 26 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The impact of strong producer responsibility on packaging prevention Germany EU 15 Austria

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 27 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The potential use of a packaging environment indicator   Conceptual tool to measure the environmental impact of packaging l lAdvantages  Gives guidance on key indicators to analyze the life-cycle impact of packaging  Provides simple tools to companies with no previous use of life-cycle instruments  Encourages life-cycle thinking l lDisadvantages  Ignores close relationship between packed good and packaging  Sales packaging is part of a packaging system (including transport and grouped packaging)  Unable to provide unequivocal numbers  Dependence on underlying assumptions for which there is no universally valid answer (e.g. sources of electricity generation)  Dependence on distribution scenarios which cannot be known before packaging is put on the market

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 28 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption The further planning:  Adoption of the 2005 Commission report to Council and Parliament  Wait for the reactions from stakeholders, Council and Parliament  Any further decisions will be taken at a later stage

DGENV G.4 15/09/05 Slide: 29 European Commission DG Environment Sustainable Production and Consumption Thank you for your attention!