Leaked documents are said to be the “end of circular economy plans” in Europe for the time being.
Letsrecycle reported on the leaked European Commission (EC) documents that outlined its work programme for 2015, which confirm that “policy proposals to update waste legislation are to be dropped”, including those aiming to implement the circular economy model in the region, though a “more ambitious” proposal may be implemented in future.
The draft documents confirm that the EC “intends to remove pending proposals that ‘do not match our objectives or which are going nowhere’ from the table”, with final versions of the document set to be sent out today when the work programme is adopted by the EC. The proposals to update the Waste Framework, Packaging and Packaging Waste and Landfill Directives are, according to the site, going to be “abandoned” because the EC “reasons there is ‘no foreseeable agreement’ on the proposals”.
The document outlines that the EC wants to “do different things and to do things differently”, and intends to “focus on the ‘big things’ like jobs and growth”, with EU citizens said to “want less EU interference on the issues where member states are better equipped to give the right response at national and regional level”. The waste target of 70 percent recycling for 2030 has been dropped alongside other plans, though air quality measures are set to be “reviewed rather than dropped”.
While the plans are set to be dropped, it’s hoped that they might be picked up again in future, with trade association Plastic Recyclers Europe (PRE) noting that it “regrets the delay” for the circular economy to come into force. PRE President Ton Emans stated that “today is an unfortunate day for sustainable growth in Europe. A direct implementation of the circular economy would have enabled the creation of 120,000 jobs only in plastics recycling.
“We look forward to the ‘more ambitious circular package’ announced by Vice-President Timmermans today. The Commission must keep its word to make this revised proposal in a speedy manner. As underlined in the Commission’s Green paper on plastic waste, increased recycling in Europe will lead to a more sustainable and circular economy”.