Dr Caroline Jackson MEP The EU and Waste Management: where are we headed?

The European Parliament Only directly elected EU institution Increasing in power to affect new law Procedures obscure and secretive Very poor collaboration with national parliaments in most Member States Vital that business understands and connects with it

The new UK MEPs Conservative 24 UKIP 13 Labour 11 Lib Dem 10 Greens 2 BNP 2 PC 1 Excludes Scotland and N Ireland results

The new European Parliament EPP (centre right) 265 Socialists 184 Liberals and allies 84 Greens 55 ECR 54 United Left 35 EFD 32 No Group 27 ECR = European Conservatives and Reformists =UK Tories + Right wing Poles, Czechs, and solo MEPs from other states

The EU and waste to date Some of the key directives adopted are Packaging waste (1994) Landfill (1999) End of Life Vehicles (2000) WEEE* (2003) Hazardous Waste (1991 and 1994) Incineration of waste (2000) Waste Shipments (1993) Batteries (2001) *waste electrical and electronic equipment

Key directives 1999 Landfill Directive Came into force 16 July 1999 Final compliance date 16 July 2020 Commission already reports poor compliance 2008 Waste Framework Directive Came into force December 2008 Various compliance dates

Landfill targets BMW to landfill to be reduced to: 75% by weight of BMW produced in 1975 by 2010 50% by 2013 35% by 2020

Waste Framework Directive (1) Key features are: Recycling target for 2020 of 50% by weight “of at least paper, metal, plastic and glass from household and possibly other origins as far as these waste streams are similar to waste from households”

Waste Framework Directive (2) Minimum 70% target for recycling non-hazardous construction and demolition waste by 2020 Hope of waste prevention targets by 2014 Waste hierarchy defined Energy efficiency definition for recovery plants

The new EP: issues to take up How are the details of the WFD being filled in? How to follow the “regulatory committee procedure” via MEPs? For any new laws, how are the “trialogues” going? Are MEPs prepared to follow up on non-compliance?

Commission signposts “Designing out waste” – new proposals Possible biowaste directive Priority to defining certain end of waste criteria Ideas for a new “Waste Implementation Agency” Review of the landfill directive??

UK policy Lots of policy papers Talking up recycling Wheel re-invention programmes Slow to increase landfill tax Reluctance to endorse EfW* Paralysis and panic in face of EU targets Prayer *energy from waste