Resolution adopted at EGP Council meeting, Bercelona on the 21st of March 2010.
JUSTIFICATION
At present the treatment of waste in the European Union level is in a transition period since Community law has been reformed with the adoption of Directive 2008/98/EC by repealing certain Directives. With this new directive the European Union has set a legal framework to control the entire waste cycle, from production to disposal, and prioritises recovery and recycling, with a view to ending the link between economic growth and waste production. This Directive should be implemented in national legislation by 31 December 2010.
However, despite the good intentions of the Directive 2008/98/EC, there are certain shortcomings that should be taken into account.
On the one hand, the lack of mandatory minimum targets for all Member States is a major flaw. Disposal of biodegradable waste in landfills is very problematic, as it is a waste of resources and leads to the release of the strong GHG methane during the breakdown of organic matter. Incineration of waste on the other hand leads to emission of CO2 and of an undefined cocktail of hazardous substances, it generates also large quantities of secondary residues, some of which are highly toxic and wastes the energy and raw material contained in the burned product. Recycling and reuse are generally climate friendly, as the emissions of the recycling or reuse process are offset by the reduction in fossil fuels that would be required to obtain new raw materials. But without binding minimum targets in waste prevention and reuse the waste treatment hierarchy does not work.
It is also necessary to strive for the best mechanism to cover service costs which at the same time encourages the creation of green jobs, avoiding excessive consumption of energy for transportation of waste to treatment facilities too far away from where the waste has been produced.
It is required to regulate waste collection in all areas to minimize environmental impact, to reuse the organic waste and to walk towards zero waste
In this sense we understand that the system with service payments through collection of different waste separately should be prioritized, which would lead to job creation and in the most remote or inacessible small communities could even revitalize electric transport and, even better, ensure that the animals that have been used for these tasks ,especially in traditionally rural areas, do not disappear.
PROPOSAL
Therefore, we propose the following
Directive 2008/98/EC on waste should be reformed setting the following as EU objectives to be met by all Member States with the introduction of minimum requirements mandatory for all EU members:
- To make prevention and reduction measurable in waste production per capita,
- Maximum reuse of materials from municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial waste, appliances, or from construction,
- Separate collection, raising the minimum rates in treatment plants and obtaining biogas and organic fertilizers, setting zero waste as the ultimate goal.
- Prioritisation of payment and collection systems that facilitate the use of electric transportation
- The regional governments will provide support to municipalities to implement collection systems for household garbage with organic fraction separation and selective collection
- The states or regions will build plants for treatment and recovery of waste in all districts with a radius of influence below 20 km and a population under 100,000, using APRA technology to generate high quality compost.
- Governments will be obliged to develop awareness campaigns to facilitate an increase in the proportion of organic waste is separated.
- Before the granting of waste collection to businesses, local governments will grant authorization for collection and recovery of waste fractions to social collectives, cooperatives, environmental associations, etc. that can improve the waste reuse.
- The directive on waste will consider animal carcasses and products that are not intended for human consumption and are used for feeding scavenger species of wildlife, with appropriate sanitary control conditions being imposed.
