EU polishes tighter recycling targets

The European Commission is expected to table a far-reaching proposal on 30 November calling for minimum recycling rates on plastics, wood, ferrous metals and aluminium packaging. EU member states and the European Parliament will have to approve the final text of the regulation.

The commission is also expected to propose a deposit and return system for single-use plastic beverage bottles up to three litres and single-use metal and aluminium beverage containers, also up to 3 litres. It calls for EU countries to have the system up and running by 1 January 2029.

Officials see packaging as a "key environmental concern", accounting for 36pc of municipal solid waste in the EU. Packaging has grown faster than gross national income in recent years, leading to "soaring" CO2 and other emissions and "overexploitation of natural resources, biodiversity loss and pollution", according to a leaked draft from the commission.

The commission wants recycling targets to be in place in EU countries by 31 December 2025 covering at least 65pc of all packaging waste by weight. From 31 December 2025, the commission proposes minimum recycling targets for packaging waste of 50pc for plastic, 25pc for wood, 70pc for ferrous metals and glass, 50pc for aluminium, and 75pc for paper and cardboard — all by weight.

Under the proposal, those targets rise from 31 December 2030 to 55pc for plastic, 30pc for wood, 80pc for ferrous metals, 60pc for aluminium, 75pc for glass, and 85pc for paper and cardboard. The commission would allow member states to postpone recycling deadlines by up to five years under certain conditions.

The commission is also targeting minimum recycled content in plastic packaging from 1 January 2030. It wants recycled content recovered from "post-consumer plastic waste" to exceed 30pc for contact sensitive packaging made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), 10pc for non-PET plastic contact sensitive packaging and 30pc for single-use plastic beverage bottles. A target of 35pc recycled material is set for 'other' packaging.

Last month industry association Plastics Europe said use of post-consumer recycled plastics rose by nearly 20pc to 5.5mn t in 2021, compared to 2020. Increased use of recyclates is "solid progress" but there is still a "need to hasten systemic change", it said.

The European Commission is also setting requirements for compostable packaging for a range of products including tea bags, filter coffee pods and pads, sticky labels on fruit and vegetables and very lightweight plastic bags. It proposes this takes effect 24 months after the regulation enters into force.

The 110-page draft regulation also calls for the weight and volume of packaging to be "reduced to the minimum necessary for ensuring its functionality". And it sets out reuse requirements for "transport packaging" such as pallets, plastic crates, foldable plastic boxes, pails and drums. Reuse should exceed 30pc from 1 January 2030 and 90pc from 1 January 2040.

By Dafydd ab Iago