1. The European Strategy for Circular Economy – Plastics Strategy and revised Waste Legislation
Joanna Drake – Deputy Director-General DG ENV, European Commission

2. Circular Economy: a priority

3. The EU is heavily dependent on imported raw materials
European Union (EU-28)
Rest of the world (ROW)
EU-28 exports (2014)
159
237
434
EU-28 imports (2014)
181
195
1300
Biomass
Manufactures (finished manufactured products)
Fuels and mining products  (fossil energy, metal ores and non-metallic minerals)
Total trade EU-28 to ROW
In 2004: 455 million tonnes
In 2014: 640 million tonnes
Total trade ROW to EU-28
In 2004: 1664 million tonnes
In 2014: 1534 million tonnes
Source:

4. Circular Economy Package 2015
Action Plan
4 Legislative
proposals on Waste
List of 54 Initiatives
>80% of actions delivered

5. Circular Economy Package
2018
Interface Chemicals
Products
Waste
Legislation
A European Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy
Revision of Directive on Port Reception Facilities
Circular Economy Monitoring Framework
Report on Critical Raw Materials
Report on Oxo-degradable Plastics

6. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
Plastics: what do we want to achieve?
Smart
Innovative
Sustainable
The Plastics Industry
of the future
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
SOCIAL INNOVATION
PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT

7. Headline targets in the Strategy
By 2030
All plastics packaging reusable or recyclable
>50% of plastic waste recycled
Sorting & recycling capacity X 4 (vs. 2015)
How?
Improve product design
Promote recycled content
Better separate collection
More funding for research and innovation
Harness global action
Reducing marine litter  ACTION ON SINGLE USE PLASTICS AND FISHING GEAR - Spring 2018

8. Municipal waste management in Croatia
Predominance of landfilling (>70%)
Recycling rate at 21% (50% target for 2020)
High landfilling of biodegradable waste
Large implementation gap to fill

9. Municipal waste management, 2015

10. Municipal waste management in Croatia
Barriers to higher recycling:
Insufficient separate collection
Lack of economic incentives (landfill taxes, waste charges)
Non efficient EPR system
Lack of infrastructure
BUT
New Waste Management Plan 2017 – a new vision: focus on separate collection, increase in recycling and composting rates, economic incentives, compliance with EU targets
Municipalities are the key actors

11. EC support to implementation
Early Warning Exercise – Croatia identified at risk of missing the 2020 target; key recommendations:
Introduce service standards for high quality separate collection
Offer technical / financial support to local authorities
Improve the efficiency of EPR systems
Make use of EU funds for long-term investments, align expenditure planning with the new WMP
Improve data quality
EU Funding for waste projects – important to adjust spending priorities to implementation of the WMP
Technical support: e.g. Peer2Peer TAIEX tool

12. Revised legislation on waste - making EU waste legislation future-proof
Proposed end 2015; informal agreement in Dec 2017
Endorsement by the Member States on 23 Feb 2018
EP plenary vote in April 2018
What does it entail?
More ambition – higher recycling levels and less landfilling
Clearer rules
More efficient waste management – EPR review

13. 5-year extension for countries with a low starting point
Single calculation method:
harmonised definition of municipal waste
reporting input to recycling
High-quality recycling of biowaste

14. 5-year extension for countries with high landfill rates
Calculation rules for landfilling
Landfill restrictions for separately collected waste
Towards no landfilling of waste suitable for recovery

15. The Waste Package: Jobs and Economic Opportunities
In the period , the implementation of the waste package will deliver at least:
Increasing employment in the waste sector: adding more than jobs by 2035
Cost-efficient waste management with financial savings amounting to 5 billion euro
A total of 20 billion euro worth of benefits to society
Contributing to combatting climate change by avoiding 300 million tonnes of CO2 emissions

16. Learn more about the plastics strategy and the circular economy