Brussels, 23/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - The EU directive providing the EU with a new framework for waste management to encourage re-use and recycling was formally adopted without debate by the Environment Council on 20 October 2008. The directive requires member states to meet new re-use and recycling targets for various types of material by 2020 (50% for glass, paper, plastic and metal, 70% for construction and demolition waste but no target for manufacturing and industrial waste).
The directive confirms the traditional hierarchy of waste management options whereby processing options are classified in terms of their environmental impact with preference going to prevention (followed in order by re-use, recycling, other ways of making use of the waste, and safely disposing of waste). Incineration meets some energy efficiency criteria and may be considered as way of making use of the waste rather than a waste disposal operation under the new directive.
The directive requires member states to draw up and implement waste prevention programmes and the European Commission will be publishing regular progress reports. The European Commission may introduce prevention targets when it reviews the directive two years after it comes into force.
The EP-Council agreement reached on first reading was confirmed by the EP in June 2008 and the Council's adoption of the directive was therefore just a formality. (A.N./trans.fl)