Wallström set to defy critics over recycling

Date: 09/12/1999

By Renée Cordes

THE European Commission is set to press ahead with planned tough new EU-wide recycling and reuse targets for paper, glass and other packaging despite fierce opposition from industry.

However, aides to Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström say she will delay coming forward with formal proposals until she has held more talks with industry and member states between now and the end of January.

The move follows angry protests from the recycling sector over the plans originally drawn up by Wallström's predecessor Ritt Bjerregaard to revise EU legislation introduced in 1994 which aims to reduce the environmental impact of waste from packaging materials while ensuring fair competition in the single market.

However, environment officials say the new Commissioner is unlikely to water down the plan. "We do not see any reason why these commitments should not be complied with," said one.

The proposals drafted by Bjerregaard called for a combined recycling and reuse target of 75%, a significant increase on the initial 45% target. Setting a combined goal would allow member states to reduce recycling targets if they increased reuse rates and vice versa.

Work on the new goals began after most Union governments said they would surpass the 25% recycling targets for the period up to 2001 set out in the current legislation.

A recent report by the European Recovery and Recycling Association (ERRA) found that of the 49 million tonnes of packaging sold in nine EU member states in 1997, 42.8% was recycled.

However, the industry is urging the Commission to refrain from setting new targets until there is a way to compare the two figures directly. Recycling targets are currently based on weight, while those for reuse are set by volume.

The European Commission is set to press ahead with planned tough new EU-wide recycling and reuse targets for paper, glass and other packaging despite fierce opposition from industry.