Brussels, 13/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - In the middle of the economic and financial crisis, the EU would be wrong to underestimate European legislation on waste. Full implementation of this legislative arsenal would make it possible to save €72 billion annually, increase the annual turnover of the waste management and recycling sector by €42 billion, and create over 400,000 jobs by 2020. These were the main lessons to be drawn from the results of a survey published by the Commission on Friday 13 January. The survey report reveals that illegal waste treatment operations in member state are causing economic growth opportunities to be missed. Stronger national inspections and better knowledge about waste management would bring major improvements. The conclusions reached by the survey will provide a guide for the Commission for achieving a balanced dose of legal and economic instruments, recommended in the roadmap for a resource-efficient Europe and in the specific waste prevention strategy.
“We need to see waste as a resource - and to bury that resource in the ground is worse than short-sighted. This report shows that waste management and recycling can make a big contribution to economic growth and job creation. If the existing legislation was implemented properly, we could avoid costly clean-up operations, pollution and health problems. And let's not forget that recycled materials are cheaper than virgin ones - and that they reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on imports”, Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik has commented.
In its analysis of the impact that more rigorous respect of the legislation would have, mainly on the basis of case studies in five countries (Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands), the report concludes that: - the EU must have better data and systematically follow of the way legislation is being applied; - progress has been made with the specific Data Centre on Waste recently set up by Eurostat; - better use of the polluter pays principle, and wider use of economic instruments like raising the costs of disposal, could help ensure compliance and provide the necessary financial resources for waste management; - inspection and monitoring capabilities need to be strengthened in member states, which could mean establishing an auditing capacity at EU level and, possibly, common inspection standards; - and one relatively cost-effective option to strengthen implementation monitoring at EU level could be to draw on the expertise and capabilities of the European Environment Agency (EEA), a solution that would carry lower administrative costs than creating a new agency dedicated to waste. The European waste management and recycling sector is very dynamic, but there is still considerable, potential economic impact that can be developed. (AN/transl.jl)