EU waste

6th env action programme:• management of natural resources and waste–Decouple resource use from economic growth–Reduce waste

•Final disposal reduction by 20% 2010, 50% by 2050

• priorities for waste reduction:1. prevention

2. recycling/reuse

3. energy recovery

4. safe disposal

incineration

landfills

• hazardous waste–management– incineration– transboundary movement

• radioactive waste

Facts:

• 3.5 T per person in 2000 (EU 15), 1.3 T municipal–manufacturing/construction– Paper use not reducing

despite IT– Decoupling from GDP not

expected until 2030

• Current domestic recycling 26%, incineration of domestic waste 23%; landfilling 45%

• Reduce landfilling of biodegradable waste

General measures on waste

• Framework waste directive 74/442

– Aim: safeguarding health and environment– Waste: ‘ any substance or object in the

categories set out in the Annex which the holder discards or intends to discard’

– Hierarchy of waste production retained– MS must enable consumer to sort– Principle : ‘Rectify at source’

• Self sufficiency: individually and as Community

• Proximity: waste to be disposed at nearest adequate installation (may contradict above)– Not for wastes for recycling

– MS to draw up waste management plans– Waste movements must be permitted,

supervised etc

• What is waste?P 375-382, 367-374,

• Waste plus free movement/competition 331-341,

• Do rules apply to wastes for recovery?22-23+25-27 Kr.

General measures

• Integrated pollution prevention and control

– Applies to all listed installations– Use of best available techniques– Includes international obligations of

international public participation, international consultation

Specific measures

• Disposal of PCBs

• Used batteries:– MSs to establish a programme

– What is a programme or plan?

p. 360-367 Kr

– Proposed directive 2003:

Recycle 100% lead, 65% rest

Recycle 100% camium, 75% rest

55% other types of batteries

– Consumer must sort

Specific measures

• Waste oil

– Recycling, regeneration must be given priority

– Therefore MS may prohibit disposal by burning ADBHU case C240/83

– P 350-357– MS must enable companies to collect,

regenerate, recycle, dispose– Consumer responsibility to return/deposit

• End-of-life vehicles 2000

– Applies to new vehicles– Consumer responsibility to return/deposit– Now 75% metal recycling, 8-9 million T/yr

vehicle waste production– 85% metal recycling by 2006, 95% by 2015– 95% recycling/reusable by mass by 2015– Manufacturer must provide free collection

Specific measures

• Waste electrical and electronic equipment

– By Dec 2006 4 kg/person/yr– Consumer responsibility to sort,

return– Producers pay for recovery– Maximum allowable %s of toxic

metals (lead, chromium, cadmium, mercury) in products

Specific measures

• Hazardous waste 91/689

– Wastes with certain characteristics, listed in Annex

– Wastes designated by MS to be so

C 318/98 Fornasar– MS must have management plans

Specific measures

• Transboundary shipment of waste: Regulation 259/93, proposal (2003)/279, complex

– Maximum harmonisation of international obligations:

1989 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal

Lome Convention 1991

OECD Decision on the control of transfrontier movements of wastes destined for recovery operations

EEA Convention 1994

Specific measures

Transfrontier shipment of wastes:

• Regulates shipments between MSs

• Regulates shipments with Basel Convention parties but non-MSs

• Regulates shipments with non-Basel, non-MSs

Waste shipment among MSs:

• For disposal:– MSs may prohibit waste shipments for

disposal to conform to proximity/rectification at source/self sufficiency principles

– Receiving states may raise objections to incoming waste for disposal to• Implement rectification at source principle• Priority to local waste• If not in accordance with national

management plans• If not in accordance with national env

protection, public health etc– In principle, possible but prove sound

environmental management possible• For recovery:

– Receiving states may raise objections on wastes for recovery only if• Not conformance with own management

plans• Not in conformance with national laws on

env protection/health• Conflicts with other international

obligations by MS

Shipments with non-MSs

• exports for disposal with non-MSs

– Banned

• exports for recovery with Basel Convention members:

– prior notification required– written consent procedure for all

hazardous and semi-hazardous waste intended for recovery;

– Chain of custody for non-hazardous waste intended for recovery.

– No shipment of hazardous wastes to Lome Convention parties

• imports for disposal/recovery banned in general unless under separate agreements under strict conditions with Basel members: must prove environmentally sound management possible

• African Union has banned import of hazardous wastes for whatever reason

• if shipment cannot be completed, obligation to take back all types of waste

Other waste measures:

• Incinerator standards• Landfill standards• Radioactive wastes– 40 000 m3 per year, 20% hi level– shipment directive 92/3

no shipments to Antarctica, Lome Convention states, 3rd country incapable of proper disposal– disposal: only temporary storage

now, no legislation, proposal:

identify deep sites by 2008

build and authorise by 2018

may ship