"The recently announced ban by China on imports as from March 2018 on different waste streams is a wake-up call for the European Union. Not only do we urgently need more treatment capacity, we also need additional local demand through concrete demand-side measures to uptake the recycled materials. If not, efficiently sorted waste runs the risk of being disposed of," cautions the European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD).
In the run-up to the next negotiation round on the EU’s future waste legislation, the umbrella organisation calls on the EU legislators to “maintain the ambitious legally binding targets, which are a central part of the revised circular economy package”. The package will need to include measures to incentivise the whole supply chain, according to FEAD.
Representatives of the European Parliament, the Council and the EU Commission will hold their next “trilogue” meeting on Sunday in an effort to reach a compromise on EU waste legislation. Core elements including future targets are among the outstanding issues.
There is only one more circular economy trilogue this year. Will agreement be reached on Sunday? Check back with us for the latest developments.
