The European Parliament's Environment Committee has called for boosting recycling and reducing packaging waste in its amendment to the draft EU “waste package” legislation.
The proposals made by the MEPs would see the return of the European Commission's 2014 ambitious environmental targets, such as increasing share of recycled waste to 70% from today's 44% within the EU.
The Commission withdrew its originally planned targets and in December 2015 issued a revised Circular Economy proposal with targets for recycling 65% of municipal waste and 75% of packaging waste by 2030.
Under the parliamentary proposal, by 2030, at least 70% by weight of so-called municipal waste (from households and businesses) should be recycled or prepared for re-use, the MEPs decided on 24 January.
For packaging materials, such as paper and cardboard, plastics, glass, metal and wood, MEPs propose an 80% target for 2030, with interim 2025 targets for each material.
Also, according to a report by Pack2Go, the MEPs voted against proposals allowing EU countries to introduce national bans on “single use” packaging.
Such measures, said Pack2Go, will “fundamentally undermine the packaging and packaging waste directive, one of the EUs most successful pieces of legislation; devastate the single market for packaging and packaged goods; and put food hygiene and consumer safety at risk.”
Among other decisions were the committee's position on recycling of bio-waste across Europe.
Additionally, according to a report by the European Bioplastics (EUBP), the bill now ensures a separate collection of bio-waste across Europe facilitated by certified collection tools such as compostable bio-waste bags.
"The amendments ensure that the potential of bio-waste as a valuable resource can be tapped through organic recycling and will provide an important boost to the secondary resource and products market within the European Union", said François de Bie, chairman of EUBP.
In line with its ambitious goal to increase resource efficiency, the committee also voted to exclude mechanically or organically recyclable waste from landfills.
The MEPs' proposals in the package will be put to a vote at the European Parliament's plenary session during 13-16 March in Strasbourg.