European Commission adopts higher recycling targets
The European Commission adopted proposals to turn Europe into a more circular economy and boost recycling in the Member States in early July. The plans ask Europeans to recycle 70% of municipal waste and 80% of packaging waste by 2030, and ban burying recyclable waste in landfill as of 2025.
A target is also included for reducing marine litter along with food waste reduction objectives.
As said, the review to strengthen waste targets in existing directives is put in the context of an ambitious drive towards fundamental transition from a linear to a more circular economy. Instead of extracting raw materials, using them once and throwing them away, the new vision is for a different economic model.
In a circular economy, re-use, repair and recycling become the norm, and waste is a thing of the past. Keeping materials in productive use for longer, reusing them, and with improved efficiency would also improve EU competitiveness on the global stage. This approach is set out in a Communication which explains how innovation in markets for recycled materials, new business models, eco-design and industrial symbiosis can move EU towards a zero-waste economy and society.
European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: "Research and innovation are the keys to success for the Circular Economy, which is why we are proposing a joined-up approach today. Alongside a supportive regulatory framework, our new Horizon 2020 programme will contribute the know-how necessary to shape a resource-efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy in the EU."
The package also suggests that resource productivity should be measured on the basis of GDP/Raw Material Consumption, and that a, improvement of 30 % by 2030 could be considered as a possible candidate for a headline target in the forthcoming review of the Europe 2020 Strategy.
The legislative proposals will now pass to the Council and the European Parliament. Progress on achieving the resource productivity target will be monitored in the European Semester of economic governance. Such a target is to be considered in the context of the mid-term review of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Research and innovation efforts in the area of circular economy will be stepped-up. The policy framework for promoting the circular economy will be further developed over the coming years.
