Important information for waste management operators! The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have reached provisional agreement on a new regulation on waste shipments in the European Union.
This is an important step towards sustainable waste management and environmental protection. The EU legislation will strongly affect waste shippers by changing the way they operate and imposing additional obligations on them. Procedures for intra-EU waste shipments and deadlines for obtaining the relevant approvals have been changed, with a focus on efficiency. There are also plans to introduce mandatory audits of waste management facilities.
The new regulations have three key objectives, which are guided by the idea of a circular economy:
1. Reducing the shipment of problematic waste outside the EU: With the ban on exporting waste to third countries for disposal, the EU has the ambitious goal of minimising the negative environmental and public health impacts of its waste.
2. Alignment of procedures with the objectives of a circular economy: The new regulations will enable more efficient shipment of waste for recycling and re-use within the EU. This is a landmark decision that will reduce waste and promote sustainable economic practices.
3. Effective enforcement and the fight against illegal waste shipments: Penalties will be introduced for Member States in case of violations and strict control over illegal waste shipments. The regulation pays particular attention to the export of plastic waste by banning exports to non-OECD countries.
The goal is clear – to reduce the impact of plastic on our environment. The EU is responding strongly to the new challenges of global waste management, resulting in this Regulation.
We are now waiting for formal approval from the EU Council and the European Parliament, and then the Regulation will enter into force.