Brussels, 07/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament is urging the European Commission to be swift in developing a European directive specifically applicable to bio-waste (food waste and green waste from households and industry) in order to impose selective sorting and recycling in member states, with a respect for subsidiarity.
This request was made on Tuesday 6 July in Strasbourg in a resolution adopted by show of hands. It constitutes a response to the Commission's Green Paper of December 2008 on the management of bio-waste in the EU, which had launched the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of the methods currently used to put bio-waste to good use, and on the timeliness of legislating on this. Since then, the Commission presented, on 18 May this year, a communication setting out the priority measures for best use of bio-waste, in which it gives preference to application of the existing legislation (EUROPE 10141).
Approving their rapporteur, José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal), MEPs say that a specific directive on bio-waste would offer greater clarity, better monitoring and reinforcement of implementation and legal certainty in this area. MEPs therefore urge the Commission to review existing legislation and draw up a proposal for a specific directive by the end of 2010, providing for the establishment of a mandatory separate collection system for member states, except where this is not appropriate from the environmental and economic point of view, as well as the recycling of bio-waste, and a quality-based classification of the different types of compost from bio-waste. Such conditions must be met if bio-waste is to provide environmental and economic advantages, MEPs say.
There is much at stake as, each year, the EU produces between 118 and 138 million tonnes of bio-waste. The Parliament points out that the sixth action programme for the environment dating back to July 2002 made it an obligation for the Commission to develop legislation on biodegradable waste as a priority for achieving the objective of sustainable use and management of natural resources and of waste. MEPs consider it unacceptable that, eight years later, no proposal has yet been put forward.
The resolution invites the Commission, in national plans for greenhouse gas emissions, to calculate savings made in terms of CO2 equivalent through recycling and composting. Considering that a future European framework would contribute to guiding and enlightening many member states, and would encourage them to invest in bio-waste management, the Parliament urges the Commission to support member states in the introduction of waste sorting and to bring in ambitious, binding objectives for bio-waste recycling.
The Commission is also invited to establish, in cooperation with member states, criteria for obtaining and using high quality compost, and to adopt minimum requirements for finished products in line with the demands set out in the framework directive on waste, so that the classification system of the various kinds of compost may, in addition to achieving a quality compost, ensure it is traceable and safe to use.
The Parliament also urges the European Commission and member states to heighten public awareness and interest regarding the prevention and recycling of waste, and to encourage and support scientific research and technological innovation in the field of bio-waste management. (A.N./transl.jl)