EU approves new directive boosting minimum recycling rates for plastics, other household wastes

01-Nov-08

The European Union has approved a new waste management framework directive boosting minimum recycling rates for plastics and other household wastes. The same potentially applies to industrial plastic waste also, where municipal waste collection is used by companies and the waste streams are similar to waste from households. With this directive, the EU expects that by 2020, the EU's 27 member states must recycle half (by weight) of the household refuse. By 2015, separate waste collection systems must be established for plastics waste, along with paper, metal and glass. Compulsory priorities for waste management within national programs and policies will be as follows: waste prevention (the preferred option); re-use; recycling materials; recovery (including energy recovery), and safe disposal (only to be used as a last resort), potentially pushing even more plastic into a recycling stream.