Brussels, 18/11/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Council adopted, without debate, the Parliament and Council regulation on waste statistics. The new regulation aims to establish a framework for developing Community statistics on production, recycling and disposal of waste generated by industry and households, which will allow the Commission to monitor the implementation of Union waste management policy.
As the text gives a precise definition of waste and waste management, it will make it possible to obtain statistical results that can be compared between Member States. The regulation establishes specific waste categories and standard procedures for the collection and transmission of data.
Radioactive waste, covered by a different legislation, is not covered by the regulation. Firms with fewer than ten employees will be excluded from the statistical studies to be carried out by Member States, unless they make a significant contribution to the production of waste.