GARWER WasteXchange News

Countries 'failing' on WEEE regs Posted: 05 Apr 2008 10:04 AM CDT The Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling and Sustainable Resource Management (ACR+), an international network promoting recycling, found widely varying differences in the way legislation on waste electrical and electronic (WEEE) has been interpreted in different countries. At a meeting of ACR+'s WEEE Public Interest Network, members heard results of the survey into the implementation of the WEEE Directive in 13 member states. The survey found that introduction of the directive has been late, inconsistent and very diverse. The organisation said producers are "widely using separate collection systems established by municipalities, but in most cases without paying the full price of the service". It said this was creating unfair competition for European producers taking up their full responsibilities. Countries were also unable to provide comprehensive information about the total cost of collection, transportation and treatment of WEEE, and on the amount collected, recycled and recovered, the WEEE Public Interest Network said. Complaints from local and regional authorities included a lack of clarity in regulation, too many producers' compliance schemes, a lack of space at collection sites, and the unwillingness of producers to accept local authorities' costs. Members of the WEEE Public Interest Network called for the EU to clarify producers' financial responsibility, and to introduce reuse targets and standard quality criteria for reused WEEE. The organisation also wants measures put in place to guarantee transparency and accessibility on the operation of producers' compliance schemes. Kate Martin

MEPs prepare for waste framework directive vote Posted: 05 Apr 2008 10:00 AM CDT Differences of opinion on the preferred shape of the EU's revised waste framework directive persist in the European parliament's environment committee in the run up to a second-reading vote scheduled for Tuesday. The central dispute is whether to extend a proposal to recycle 70 per cent of construction and demolition waste by 2020 to industrial and manufacturing waste. "I say it's impossible," rapporteur MEP Caroline Jackson of the centre-right EPP group told the environment committee in a debate on Wednesday. The European commission had convinced her "the data necessary is lacking" for industrial waste, she said. Instead she wants the commission to re-examine the idea in 2015. The Socialists, Liberals, Greens and other left-wing parliamentary groups disagree and seem in no mood to compromise. "This is the crunch point for my group," Socialist shadow rapporteur Guido Sacconi insisted on Wednesday. MEPs are also divided over proposals to classify efficient waste-to-energy incineration as recovery under the waste hierarchy. Dr Jackson argues incineration will not hinder recycling and indeed is essential to ensure ministers sign up to waste prevention and recycling targets. The Liberals support her, but MEPs from other groups disagree on how to define energy recovery. Some fear increased incineration will cause more dioxin pollution and a rise in health problems. Dr Jackson says the EU waste incineration directive will prevent this. The rapporteur said she was open to MEPs' proposals on other issues such as hazardous waste, waste oils and bio-waste. [b]Follow-up:[/b] [url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/envi/default_en.htm]European parliament environment committee[/url] | [url=http://www.borsarifiuti.com/filebin/80404a.pdf]Jackson press release in response to critical NGO[/url].

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