Adopted New Waste Management Law with Circular Economy Concept

Members of the European Parliament voted on Wednesday at a plenary session for a new legislative package that defines new goals and the European Union’s policy on waste management in accordance with the circular economy concept.

The members adopted four legislative proposals on packaging and packaging waste, end-of-life vehicles, batteries, accumulators, and electrical and electronic devices, waste and landfills, thus paving the way for a model of production and consumption that includes sharing, borrowing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing products and materials.

By transitioning to a circular economy, the members are convinced that Europe is turning towards sustainable social and economic development that combines industrial growth and environmental protection.

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The circular economy, as explained by rapporteur Simona Bonafe, is not just a waste management policy but also a way to reuse raw materials, as well as a way to redesign the production system. This package, she added, will also be an attempt to change the behavior of consumers and producers.

Vice President Frans Timmermans expressed hope during the presentation of the directives on Monday, the first day of the plenary session, that this “ambitious” action plan for the circular economy, if legislated, would enable “growth, innovation, job creation, and reduce our dependence on imports of critical raw materials.”

By 2030, 70 percent of waste must be recycled

The European Union produces more than 2.5 billion tons of waste annually, and the new rules establish legally binding targets for waste recycling and waste reduction with fixed deadlines.

According to these targets, the share of municipal waste that is recycled should be increased from 44 to 55 percent by 2025, by 2030 this number should rise to 60 percent, and by 2035 it should amount to 65 percent.

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By 2025, 65 percent of packaging material must be recycled, and by 2030, 70 percent. For certain packaging materials such as paper and cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, and wood, the members propose a separate recycling target.

Member states will also have to ensure that by 2030, or by 2035 for some members including Croatia, the amount of municipal waste landfilled is reduced to 10 percent or less.

Croatian MEP Davor Škrlec from the Green/EFA group and a member of the EP Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety explained that the deadline to reduce waste in landfills to 10 percent is by 2030, but that countries, including Croatia, which had more than 60 percent of waste in landfills in 2013, are allowed an additional five-year period to achieve this goal.

In 2013, Croatia had 87 percent of municipal waste in landfills, around 78 percent in 2015/16. It is possible, according to Škrlec, to reach 25 percent by 2030 with a plan and obtain conditions for an extension until 2035 to achieve 10 percent.

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– The new circular economy package brings ambitious goals for member states, although the final result is far from the initial position of the European Parliament. During negotiations, we faced the uncomfortable reality of non-compliance with European environmental legislation, which has led to many member states lagging behind. The future of the circular economy is now in the hands of governments, regions, and local authorities that need to recognize the potential for creating green jobs, turning waste into value rather than a burden. Croatia has received an additional five years to achieve the goals, and it is high time to reconsider the current policy of waste management centers, especially considering separate waste and bio-waste collection, said Davor Škrlec.

After the adoption of the legislative package and its publication in the official journal, there is a 24-month deadline for member states to transpose it into their national legislation, which means that Croatia in May 2020, precisely at the moment when it will preside over the Council of the European Union, will need to prove that it has successfully transposed all these directive amendments into its national legislation.

After that, the implementation of these laws will follow by 2030, that is, by 2035.

Experts in the EU advocate a shift towards a circular economy due to the increasing demand for raw materials and decreasing resources. A whole range of materials we use is limited as the global population grows and demand increases, as well as dependence on other countries that are sources of raw materials. For example, if 95 percent of mobile phones were collected after use, materials worth over one billion euros annually would be preserved.

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By preventing waste generation, through eco-design, reusing waste, and similar measures, businesses in the EU could, it is estimated, achieve a net saving of 600 billion euros, or 8 percent of annual turnover, while annual greenhouse gas emissions would also be reduced by two to four percent, and approximately 580,000 new jobs would be created, according to estimates.

Although municipal waste accounts for less than a tenth of the 2.5 billion tons of waste produced in the EU each year, it is a visible and complex problem.

From 2005 to 2016, the average amount of waste per capita fell by seven percent in the EU, however, significant differences exist among countries. Wealthier countries and those engaged in tourism produce more waste.

Croatia produces 403 kilograms per capita

Thus, the amount of waste is increasing in Denmark, Germany, Greece, Malta, and the Czech Republic, while it is decreasing in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, and the Netherlands. In absolute values per capita, Denmark, Malta, Cyprus, and Germany are at the top, while the least waste is produced by the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Denmark, for example, produces 777 kilograms of municipal waste per capita, while Croatia produces 403 kilograms per capita. However, in Denmark, only 1 percent of municipal waste ends up in landfills, while in Croatia, 78 percent. Croatia recycles only 21.5 percent and incinerates 0.1 percent.

According to statistical data from 2016, 47 percent of municipal waste in the EU is recycled and composted. However, practices vary among countries, and many member states still use underground landfilling for municipal waste.

Landfilling is almost non-existent in Northern and Western Europe (Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany), but as many as 12 countries landfill more than half of their waste. Croatia, along with Latvia, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, is above 60 percent.

Textiles and hazardous household waste must be collected separately by 2025. By 2024, biodegradable waste will also have to be collected separately or recycled at home through composting.

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In line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, member states should aim to reduce food waste by 30 percent by 2025 and by 50 percent by 2030. To prevent food waste, member states should encourage the collection of unsold food products and their further redistribution. Consumer awareness of the meaning of the labels “best before” and “use by” on products should also be improved, the members believe.

Dubravka Šuica (EPP) is convinced that Croatian citizens will benefit from better waste management in the circular economy and more efficient resource use, and that businesses will achieve significant net savings in their operations.

– At the same time, total greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced, which will have a positive impact on environmental protection, Šuica stated.

– If Croatia wants to stand alongside developed EU countries, the introduction of circular economy principles is essential. Waste is not garbage but metal, glass, paper, and other valuable resources. Croatia is not rich enough to continue burning and burying money. I especially welcome the adoption of the goal of reducing food waste by 50 percent by 2030 and the measures that will contribute to this, said Social Democratic representative Biljana Borzan.