Spain exceeded EU recycling targets for packaging waste by a substantial margin last year. Of the 298,000 tonnes of crate, case and pallet waste generated, some 226,000 tonnes were recovered. About 195,000 tonnes underwent material recycling, reported the Spanish wood packaging association Fedemco. The resulting material recycling rate stood at 65 per cent, while the energy recovery rate lay at 11 per cent.
The current EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive requires a minimum recycling rate of 15 per cent for wood packaging waste and 55 per cent for all waste packaging taken together. Even the 60 per cent recycling and preparation for reuse target the European Commission has proposed for wood from 2025 in the new Circular Economy Package would have been met in Spain with last year's quota. The Commission has proposed a further increase in the minimum rate to 75 per cent in 2030. However, these targets may still change as the proposed revisions to the Packaging Directive make their way through the Parliament and Council during the legislative process.
