Following the release by the European Commission (EC) of its new Circular Economy Package, PlasticsEurope, the pan-European association representing European plastics manufacturers, has said it sees the package as a step closer to resource efficiency.
The EC's new package issues lower recycling targets than those contained in the original proposal announced in 2014, which was withdrawn in early 2015.
The EC's new waste proposal includes: common EU targets for recycling 65% of municipal waste and 75% of packaging waste by 2030; and a binding target to reduce landfill to a maximum of 10% of all waste by 2030.
PlasticsEurope has welcomed the publication of the new Circular Economy Package.
Karl-H. Foerster, Executive Director of PlasticsEurope said: “This holistic approach together with the Commission's decision to take the entire life cycle of products into account, not just the end-of-life, will help make Europe more sustainable and resource efficient”.
PlasticsEurope says it supports the EC's idea to adopt a strategy on plastics and looks forward to working together to address the 'specificities' of plastics.
However, Foerster also expressed reservations: “The European plastics industry has been calling for a legally binding landfill restriction on all recyclable as well as other recoverable post-consumer waste by 2025. Although a 10% target constitutes a step in the right direction, it remains a timid attempt to put an end to the landfilling of all waste which can be used a resource”.
In the EC's 2014 proposal the target was for a total landfill ban from 2025.
PlasticsEurope also highlights that the new 2025 recycling and preparation for re-use target of 55% for plastic packaging waste is a very ambitious objective, due to the fact that the average plastics packaging recycling rate in Europe was under 40% in 2014.