Bjerregaard drafts new waste plan

Date: 20/02/1997

By Michael Mann

SENIOR European Commission officials are meeting this week to discuss revised proposals which would have a significant impact on the handling of domestic waste across the Union.

Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard, who was forced to redraft her plans completely because of opposition to the original proposals from within the Commission, is hoping to persuade EU governments to reduce gradually the amount of methane-producing organic waste which can lawfully be buried in 'landfill' sites over the next decade.

Her initial plans to set an immediate limit on the 'total organic content' (TOC) in waste dumps were rejected by Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan shortly before Christmas.

Under the revised version, EU governments would be given longer to reduce the amount of organic waste being buried and would have more leeway to decide how to achieve the targets.

In the long-term, the changes should even allow a greater reduction than originally planned in the amount of methane being generated from waste dumps.

Where Bjerregaard's earlier draft sought to limit the TOC in municipal landfill sites to 20&percent;, the latest plan would require national governments to reduce the amount of food and paper waste being buried to 75&percent; of 1993 levels by 2002, falling to 50&percent; by 2005 and 25&percent; in 2010.

Although this would eventually require householders to spend more time sorting domestic waste, Commission officials stress that a majority of member states are already well ahead of the proposed targets.

Environmental advisers to the 20 Commissioners were meeting today (20 February) to study the revised draft. If enough common ground can be found, it will go before the full Commission next week.