Brussels, 29/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - The last Environment Council under the Czech presidency gave a warm welcome to the Commission's Green Paper on bio waste management in the Union. It also said that it wanted the European Commission to go further in examination of the options it was planning on for managing this kind of waste. The EU27, however, is calling on the European Commission to proceed to an impact study before deciding on legislation and take subsidiarity and local conditions into consideration. This impact study should also take into account the role of bio waste and its potential as a source do renewable energy when the life cycle analysis justifies conversion into biofuel or their processing in highly efficient incinerators.
In its unanimous conclusions adopted on 25 June, the Council invites the Commission to examine a whole range of measures: waste prevention measures, measures to promote separate collection of biodegradable waste to guarantee quality recycling, an insurance system for the whole system, based on the principle of integrated chain management and traceability through the process up to the final receptor, without incurring excessive costs or disproportionate administrate burdens and the establishing of compost quality labelling criteria.
The Council recommends that biodegradable waste suitable for treatment in composing or anaerobic digestion plants as part of the scope of a possible future directive.
The EU27 notes that the significant amount of bio waste in the EU (139 tonnes a year) is still expected to increase. It is also concerned that bio waste is a significant source of greenhouse gas and other polluting emissions when they are discharged without preliminary stabilisation. The Council considers that improving bio waste management will help to create sustainable resource management, the improvement of soil protection, the fight against climate change and accomplishing the targets on recycling waste and renewable energy. (A.N./trans/rh)