EC on waste - Main contents

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dossier	COM(2013)502 - Defining criteria determining when recovered paper ceases to be waste pursuant to Article 6 (1) of Directive 2008/98/EC on ...
document	COM(2013)502
date	July 9, 2013

(1) It results from an evaluation of several waste streams that recycling markets for paper would benefit from the development of specific criteria determining when paper obtained from waste ceases to be waste. Those criteria should ensure a high level of environmental protection. They should be without prejudice to the classification of recovered paper as waste by third countries.

(2) Reports of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission have shown that a market and demand exist for recovered paper to be used as feedstock in paper mills. Recovered paper should therefore be sufficiently pure and meet the relevant standards or specifications required by the paper producing industry.

(3) The criteria determining when recovered paper ceases to be waste should ensure that paper resulting from a recovery operation meet the technical requirements of the paper producing industry, comply with existing legislation and standards applicable to products and do not lead to overall adverse environmental or human health impacts. Reports of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission have shown that the proposed criteria on the waste used as input in the recovery operation, on the treatment processes and techniques, as well as on the paper resulting from the recovery operation fulfil those objectives as they should result in the generation of paper devoid of hazardous properties and sufficiently free of non-paper components.

(4) In order to ensure compliance with the criteria, it is appropriate that information on recovered paper which has ceased to be waste is issued and that a management system is implemented.

(5) In order to allow operators to adapt to the criteria determining when recovered paper ceases to be waste, it is appropriate to provide for for a reasonable period to elapse before this Regulation applies.

(6) Specific end-of-waste criteria should be set up for multi-material paper with a high content of non-paper material in order to ensure that effectively the paper is recycled and the non-paper materials are recovered.

(7) The committee established by Article 39 of Directive 2008/98/EC has not delivered an opinion on the measures provided for in this Regulation, the Commission therefore submitted to the Council a proposal relating to those measures and forwarded it to the European Parliament.