Members of the European Parliament have voted for binding targets to reduce the amount of waste produced in the EU. Every year, 1.3 billion tonnes of waste is produced in Europe, with every citizen creating on average more than 500kg each. Recycling rates vary from below 10% to above 50% in some countries. The vote saw support for a five-stage waste hierarchy, producer responsibility, new waste prevention targets, national waste prevention programmes and a move towards redefining fully-recycled products as non-wastes.
Parliament agreed that production of waste should be stabilised at 2008 levels by 2012, and scaled back by 2020. MEPs also said that 50% of municipal waste and 70% of industrial waste should be recycled by the same 2020 deadline.
Tough new landfill bans were also agreed, and the vote came as MEPs gave a first reading to a revised version of the Waste Framework Directive 75/442/EEC, which seeks to update the ground rules for managing waste in Europe. Proposals for the revised Directive were first put forward in 2005, and it will now be considered by the Council of the Ministers before being returned for a second reading by the Parliament later this year.
