Agreement on EU waste shipment regulation

„Even if many details of the new rules of the Waste Shipment Regulation are not yet known, it is clear that Parliament and the Council have actually agreed in the trialogue under the moderation of the Commission to introduce an export ban on unmixed plastics for recycling in non-OECD third countries. This is a setback for the creation of a globally functioning circular economy.“

 Peter Kurth, BDE-President

The so-called provisional agreement reached in the trilogue on 16 November provides for Stricter rules for the export of plastic waste to third countries in place. In particular, it contains a ban on the export of non-hazardous plastic waste (B3011) to non-OECD countries. This stipulates that non-OECD countries can submit an application to the Commission stating their willingness to import EU plastic waste no earlier than five years after the regulation comes into force. However, the prerequisite for this is that they fulfil strict waste management standards. If the application is approved, the Commission will then adopt a delegated act to lift the ban for these countries. The found political agreement still needs to be formally adopted.

„Against the backdrop of such far-reaching intervention in international waste transport for the recycling of green-listed plastic, the creation of a „Schengen area“ for waste within the EU is now all the more important. We can now only hope that at least the new rules for waste shipments within the EU will provide the flexibility needed for the circular economy so that waste can be shipped to where it can best be recycled.“

Peter Kurth

Source: BDE