Page 56 - Plastics News January 2018

internAtionAL news

EU agreement sets big targets for Eur opean Union mulls

higher recycling, less waste introducing new tax on plastics

fficials with the European Union have approved uropean Union Budget
Owaste legislation, which highlights the development Eand Human Resources
of a new strategy on plastics in a circular economy. Commissioner Guenther
In a decision announced the EU legislators with the Oettinger has announced
European Parliament, Council and European Commission plans to impose a tax on
reached an agreement on a proposal from December plastics as a source of
2015, which covered four areas of waste, packaging income and an initiative to
reduce plastics packaging.
waste, landfill and electrical and electronic waste. The Announcing his budget plans
circular economy package includes broad measures for for the year 2019 Oettinger said the proposal for the
changing the full product lifecycle and to go beyond a potential tax would be part of a new set of post-Brexit
focus on the end-of-life stage. As part of the rules, the financial instruments, while creating an incentive for
reduced packaging in the face of the Chinese waste
import ban. “Since 1 January of this year, China has
closed its markets to plastic waste and will no longer
accept plastic waste for reprocessing,” Bloomberg
quoted Oettinger as saying. According to the EU
commissioner, the move will also help plug a 12 billion
to 15 billion euro budget gap, which will be created
after the departure of the United Kingdom from the
union in March 2019. The details of the tax will be
applied is yet to be decided, according to the European
commission mandated that food waste should be halved commissioner.
by 2030, while quality standards should be developed for
secondary raw materials. Another key action adopted by Montreal bids adieu to plastic
the legislation is drawing up a strategy on plastics in the
circular economy to address a number of issues, including: bags
recyclability, biodegradability, the presence of hazardous
substances in plastics and the sustainable development ontreal's has prohibited the use
goals target for significantly reducing marine litter. A series Mof plastic bag starting this month
of actions on water reuse including a legislative proposal as the plastic bag restrictions became
on minimum requirements for the reuse of wastewater, effective January 01, 2018 , 23 months
also are included in the package. after city officials said the regulations
were coming. Earlier on Aug. 23,
The revised legislative proposal sets clear targets for 2016, Montreal's municipal council
the reduction of waste, including a common EU target for adopted the regulations to come into
recycling 65 percent of municipal waste, and 75 percent of effect at the beginning of this year. Montreal has given
packaging waste by 2030. Also, the landfill target should retailers a grace period for compliance through June 5.
be reduced to maximum of 10 percent of municipal waste The law bans distribution of conventional plastic bags
by 2030. Commenting on the agreement, Karmenu Vella, with thickness less than 50 microns. Also banned are
commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, said the bags touted as oxo-degradable, oxo-fragmentable or
decision was “one big step” towards the circular economy. biodegradable no matter their thickness.
“Modernizing our European waste legislation will drive Not covered by the ban are plastic bags used exclusively
efforts of member states to cut the amount of waste we to transport food to the cash counter or to protect food
generate, to reduce the materials we bury and burn, and from direct contact with other items being purchased,
to increase re-use and recycling,” he said. According to such as fruits, meat and dairy products. Montreal, like
the commissioner, the deal will strengthen Europe's "waste many other cities, has cited visual nuisance and bad
hierarchy" by placing prevention, reuse and recycling impact on terrestrial and marine ecosystems as reasons
clearly above landfilling and incineration. to ban certain plastic bags.

Plastics News Januar y 2018 56