Priority Environmental Investment Programme

National Workshop Serbia

Overview Of EU Waste Policy

Belgrade, 8th May 2008

Ruslan Zhechkov, RECruslan@rec.org

This project is financed by the European Commission.

www.rec.org

Contents

• Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste (2005)

• Waste Framework Directive 2006/12/EC

• Waste Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC

• Packaging Directive 1994/62/EC

• Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/EC

www.rec.org

Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste

(2005)• Waste is a huge industry: 1.5 million jobs

only in recycling;

• Substantial progress in EU waste policy during last 30 years;

• Waste seen as a resource for industry: re-use, recycling and energy recovery regulated: packaging, ELVs, WEEE, BMW;

• Still, waste volume is growing and remains a problem;

www.rec.org

Situation in EU as of 2005

• Landfill (49%), incineration (18%), recycling and composting (33%).

• Hierarchy of waste management measures: (environmental concept)

- Prevention or reduction of waste production;- Recovery of waste – recycling, reuse, reclamation;- Waste to energy - incineration;- Landfill (worst option environmentally)

• Horizontal legislation: Waste Framework Directive (55%), Hazardous Waste Directive (54%), Waste Shipment Regulation

• Detailed regulation: Waste Landfill Directive (45%), Packaging Directive (21%), ELV Directive, WEEE, EU Incineration Directive (16%).

• Prevention, recycling and recovery are increasing but the absolute amount of waste is increasing;

• Long-term goal is the EU to become a recycling society;

www.rec.org

Emphasis of Future EU Policy

• Full implementation of existing legislation;

• Simplification and modernisation of legislation: remove unnecessary admin burden

• Introduction of life-cycle thinking into waste policy. Minimization of the environmental impact through the life cycle;

• Promotion of waste prevention;

• Better knowledge and information;

• Development of common reference standards for recycling;

www.rec.org

Waste Framework Directive

• Measures to dispose of waste in a safe way (BAT without excessive costs); avoid dumping.

• Waste management plans should be drafted. • Every waste generator should be covered by

collection schemes. This should go hand in hand, even precede new landfill construction.

• Proper permits for public or private waste collectors: types and quantities of waste, technical requirements, safety, treatment method;

• Polluter pays principle: cost of disposal must be borne by the holder or the producer of the product. Will lead to charge increases in Serbia.

• Annexes: Categories of waste (I); Disposal operation (IIA), Recovery operations (IIB);

www.rec.org

Waste Landfill Directive

Modern landfill in Tallinn

www.rec.org

Waste Landfill Directive (1)

• Main principles: - safe landfilling – contains relevant technical

requirements. Link to IPPC Directive (96/61/EC); - encouragement of prevention, recycling and

recovery: → investments in recycling systems and recovery installations;

- polluter pays principle → increase of tariffs; - avoid dumping; - reduce quantity and hazardousness of waste for

landfills;- higher technical standards → higher costs of

landfilling;- reduction of landfilling of biodegradable waste; - definition of closing of a landfill;- Principle of proximity and self-sufficiency → adequate,

integrated network of disposal plants

www.rec.org

Waste Landfill Directive (2)

• National strategies to be drafted for reduction of BMW going to landfills.

• Strategies set benchmarks (5 years – 75% of 1995; 8 years – 50% of 1995; 15 y – 35% of 1995)

• Wastes not accepted to landfills – liquid, explosive, corrosive, hospital, whole tyres.

• Classes of landfill – hazardous (for haz waste); non-hazardous (for municipal waste), for inert waste;

• Detailed permits for landfill operators. Prerequisites (quantity of waste, capacity, description of site, methods for pollution prevention and abatement, proposed operation monitoring and control plan, plan for closure and after-care procedures;

www.rec.org

Waste Landfill Directive (3)

• Cost of landfilling – all costs of setting up, operation and closure to be reflected in the landfill charge – polluter pays principle.

• Waste acceptance procedures (appropriate documentation by the operator)

• Closure and after-care – when conditions in permit are met, authorized by Competent Authorities (CA). After closure operator is responsible for after-care for a certain period.

• Upgrade of existing landfills (conditioning plan to CAs)

www.rec.org

Packaging Directive (94/62/EC)

• Aims at prevention of packaging waste

• Encouragement of reuse systems of packaging

• Directive sets benchmarks for recovery and recycling;

• Encouragement of return, collection and recovery systems;

• In NMS it has been of utmost importance in reaching reduction targets for landfilling BMW.

www.rec.org

Other legislation

• Directive 91/689/EC on hazardous waste

• Decision 2000/532/EC on list of wastes

• Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 on shipment of wastes

• Directive 2000/53/EC on End-of-life Vehicles (ELV)

• Directive 2000/76/EC on Incineration of Waste

www.rec.org

Thank you.For more information:

Ruslan Zhechkovrzhechkov@rec.org

Tel.: +36-26-504-060