Annexes to COM(1999)596 - Interim Report according to Article 6.3 (a) of Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste - Main contents
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| dossier | COM(1999)596 - Interim Report according to Article 6.3 (a) of Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(1999)596  |
| date | November 19, 1999 |
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By 1 January 1998 levels of recycling of 15% of each material should be achieved. The measures containing targets exceeding the targets of Directive 94/62/EC have been notified by Belgium on 13 July 1996 in accordance with Article 6(6) of the Directive.
In Denmark, a new consultation paper on waste strategy includes the following reuse or recycling targets to be achieved by the year 2001.
Paper and board // 55%
Glass // 65%
Plastics // 15%
The national waste plan "Affald" 21 (1998-2004) states that 45% of the packaging waste is expected to be recycled by the year 2001 and the aggregate recovery is expected to exceed 80%.
Finland has set a combined reuse and recovery target of 82%, to be reached by 30 June 2001. The following specific targets for recycling and recovery, to be achieved by 30 June 2001, have also been set:
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In France, the targets specified in the Directive are to be achieved by 30 June 2001:
In addition, Eco-Emballages [7] has fixed a recovery target for household packaging waste of 75% by the year 2003 with no material recovered at less than 60%.
[7] Eco-Emballages - French organisation in charge of a scheme for the collection, recycling and financing of packaging waste
The overall recycling and recovery targets set by Germany, to be achieved by 30 June 2001, are as follows: recovery - 65% recycling - 45%.
The targets for recycling of specific materials, to be achieved by 1 January 1999, are as follows:
Glass // 75%
Tinplate // 70%
Aluminium // 60%
Paper/board // 70%
Composites // 60%
Plastics // 36% (mechanical recycling)
A recovery target for plastics of 60% is also set at for the same date.
Greece aims at achieving the targets specified in the Directive (executing its right according to Article 6 paragraph 5 of the Directive).
Ireland, executing its right according to Article 6 paragraph 5 of the Directive, has set the following recovery targets, to be achieved by 30 June 2001:
Paper // 31%
Glass // 45%
Plastic // 10%
Aluminium // 25%
Steel // 5%
Metals // 10%
TOTAL // 27%
Italian legislation on packaging waste contains the target ranges set by the Directive (recycling 25-45% - with a minimum 15% per material - recovery 50-65%), to be achieved by March 2002. The general programme on waste prevention and management of packaging waste, elaborated in the context of this legislation, establishes for the year 2001 a recovery target of 49% and a recycling rate of 42%. However, these targets do not seem to be mandatory.
The following recovery and recycling rates are expected in relation to the specific waste materials:
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Luxembourg has set a target of 45% recycling, with at least 15% for each material, and a recovery target of 55%. Both targets are to be achieved by 30 June 2001.
In The Netherlands, the maximum recycling (45% with at least 15% for each material) and recovery (65%) targets laid down in Directive 94/62/EC have been included in a regulation and are to be achieved by August 1998. A "packaging Covenant" lays down an overall target for material recycling of 65% to be achieved by 30 June 2001 as well as specific targets, in the following way:
Glass // 90%
Paper/board // 85%
Metals // 80%
Plastics // 27%
Wood // 15%
A target of 9% for the chemical recycling of plastic has also been established. Finally, it is aimed at reducing the generation of packaging waste of 10% compared to the level of 1986.
Portugal aims at reaching the targets specified in the Directive (executing its right according to Article 6 paragraph 5 of the Directive).
Spain has fixed a target specified in the Directive. Additionally, by April 2000, a 15% recycling rate shall be achieved, with a minimum rate of 10% for each packaging material. A 10% reduction rate of the generation of packaging waste has also been set.
In Sweden, reuse and recycling targets for 1 January 1997 have been set as follows:Reuse and recycling (excluding biological treatment)
Aluminium (beverage containers) // 90%
Aluminium (other than beverage containers) // 50%
Steel // 50%
PET (beverage containers) // 90%
Plastics (other than PET beverage containers) // 30%
Paper/non corrugated cardboard // 30%
Corrugated cardboard // 65%
Returned glass bottles for wine and spirits Filled in Sweden // 90% (reuse)
Returned glass bottles for beer and soft Drinks filled in Sweden // 95% (reuse)
Glass // 70%
By 30 June 2001, the following targets shall have to be achieved in Sweden:
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The following targets have been set in the United Kingdom:
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Table II.1: Summary table of the targets established by the Member States for 2001 [%]
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(1) Recovery includes recycling but not reuse (except in Finland which set the common target for recovery and reuse).
(2) Greece, Ireland and Portugal can set lower targets but shall at least attain 25% for recovery, and shall attain the other levels before 1 January 2006
(3) Operators taking part in an agreed system
(4) Other operators
III. TARGETS ACHIEVED BY MEMBER STATES FOR RECOVERY, RECYCLING AND REUSE.
The data presented in Table III.1 was collected from the reports on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC, for the year 1997. Data related to the population have been taken from Eurostat source.
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Table III.1: Summary table of the quantity of packaging placed on the market according to the different materials by Member States
The data presented in Table III.2 was collected in different years so only a general comparison can be made based on this data. About half of the Member States have sent their reports on packaging and packaging waste according to Article 12 of the Directive 94/62/EC and the derived Commission Decision 97/138/EC.
More detailed information on recycling and recovery targets achieved (including dates and sources) are provided below in Tables III.3, 4 and 5 with regard to municipal and non-municipal waste.
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(1) Greece, Ireland and Portugal may set lower targets but shall at least attain 25% for recovery, and shall attain the other levels before 1 January 2006
Table III.2: Summary table of the targets achieved by the Member States [%]
Table III.3: Recycling [%]
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Source: "Management systems for packaging waste" Pricewaterhouse Coopers 1998 for ERRA;
except:
Italy: Programma generale di prevenzione e gestione dei rifiuti di imballaggio- CONAI - 1999.
and the following ones marked ( )*:
A, D, DK, FIN, FR, NL, SW, UK: Reports on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC, for the year 1997.
Table III.4: Recovery [%]
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Source: "Management systems for packaging waste" Pricewaterhouse Coopers 1998 for ERRA;
except:
Italy: Programma generale di prevenzione e gestione dei rifiuti di imballaggio- CONAI - 1999
and the following ones marked ( )*:
A, D, DK, FIN, FR, NL, SW, UK: Reports on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC, for the year 1997.
Table III.5: Recycling per fraction [%]
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Sources:
A - "Eco-balances for policy-making in the domain of packaging and packaging waste" (RDC and Coopers and Lybrand) May 1997 European Commission (data from 1994/95)
B - Glass Gazette September 1998 (FEVE, data from 1997)
C - EEA (data from 1997)
D - ERRA, AIM, CIAA (December 1998 Report, data from Greece: 1995/96)
E - APEAL News October 96 (data from 1995)
F - Programma generale di prevenzione e gestione dei rifiuti di imballaggio - CONAI - 1999 (data from 1998).
G - Report of Germany on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC (data from 1997).
H - Report of Sweden on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC (data from 1997).
I - Report of Finland on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC (data from 1997).
J - Report of UK on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC (data from 1997).
K - Report of Netherlands on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC (data from 1997).
L - Report of Austria on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC (data from 1997).
M - Report of Denmark on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC (data from 1997).
N - Report of France on packaging and packaging waste according to the Commission Decision 97/138/EC (data from 1997).
Table III.6 presents the targets achieved for reuse of various beverage packaging.
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Source: Reuse of primary packaging. Final report 1999 (Abfallberatung Müllvermeidung & Recycling, Andreas Golding D-72074 Tübingen)
In addition to these data, Finland has provided the Commission with the following information concerning reused packaging materials.
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IV. EVALUATION OF THE AVAILABLE FIGURES
Reuse
Looking at the available figures on the rates of reused packaging in the Member States, the following conclusions can be drawn.
On average in the EU, about one-third of packaging for soft-drinks, mineral water and wine is reused. However, reuse systems are available to a much greater extent in northern Member States than in southern Member States. Packaging materials concerned by reuse are mainly glass (all drinks) and PET [8] (mineral water, soft drinks).
[8] PET - Polyethylene Terephthalate
The highest reuse rates are achieved in the mineral water sector in Denmark, Finland, Austria, Germany and Sweden, where reuse approaches or exceeds 90% of the volumes bottled (glass and PET). On the contrary, very low reuse rates are achieved in the other Member States. Austria and Finland achieve a very high reuse rate beyond 70% in the wine sector [9], but also Sweden and Portugal achieve considerably high reuse rates above 50% in this sector.
[9] These figures refer to the year 1994, therefore they should be taken with some precaution.
In the soft drink sector Austria, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Portugal reuse between one-third and two-thirds of glass packaging. Denmark exceeds 80%, whereas in the other countries for which data are available, reuse rates do not exceed 10-15%. Finland and Sweden also achieve significant reuse rates for PET packaging for soft drinks.
As regards beer, the north-south differences are less evident: only Italy, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France do not reach 20% of reuse, whereas all the other countries reuse between 30% and 50% (Sweden, Spain) or even above 70% of packaging, with Denmark reaching almost 100%.
Finally, United Kingdom, Austria and the Netherlands and to a lesser degree Belgium and Germany, maintain reuse systems in the milk sector.
Although Directive 94/62/EC has not set any specific quantitative target for the reuse of packaging, reuse is - as stated in Article 1(2) of the Directive, a fundamental principle of packaging management. Article 5 of the Directive encourages reuse systems of packaging, which can be reused in an environmentally sound manner, in conformity with the Treaty. Furthermore, Article 3(5) of the Directive establishes that packaging which is reused is not to be considered waste until it is no longer reused.
Recycling
The conclusion that can be drawn from the available figures (see tables III.2 and III.3) is that the recycling targets set out in 1994 in the packaging Directive have proven be capable of being reached. The general target of 25% recycling has already - four years in advance of the compliance date - been achieved by all the Member States which were to comply with this target. Ireland, Portugal and Greece benefit from the clause set out in Article 6(5) of the Directive, allowing for lower targets to be achieved or the same targets at a later stage. Greece and Ireland have already achieved a recycling targets of 25 and 18% respectively.
The maximum target of 45% recycling has been exceeded by Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, which have in fact applied Article 6(6), although the statistics available seem to indicate that also Sweden and Germany, which have not applied Article 6(6) so far, have exceeded the maximum recycling target. Denmark and Finland are not far from the maximum recycling target, whereas Italy, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom have reached a recycling rate which is above the minimum target of the Directive, although not by a very considerable amount.
Concerning the minimum recycling target of 15% by material, where statistics are available they show that this figure is largely exceeded in the majority of Member States (see tables III.2 and III.5). The recycling rate for steel and aluminium far exceeds 50% in the northern countries. Southern countries lag behind, although recycling is also increasing in these countries.
Glass and paper are the materials where the figures show the lowest geographical differences. Recycling rates for glass are between 70 and 90% in Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden. France, Italy, Finland, Portugal the United Kingdom, Spain and Greece all recycle more than 25%, in several cases approaching 50%. These figures are also confirmed by statistics published by the European Federation for Glass Packaging. For paper, high recycling rates are not only to be found in countries, which have a consolidated recycling tradition but also in other countries such as Luxembourg and Italy.
The only material for which the recycling rate is still, in several countries, below the rate set by the Directive, is plastic. The 15% recycling rate for plastic was exceeded by Germany (45% inclusive the so-called "feed stock recycling") and Austria (20%). However, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden and Finland are - four years in advance of the target date of 30 June 2001 - not far from this rate. The Commission does not have figures on the recycling of composite materials, such as beverage and milk cartons, for the majority of Member States. The recycling of beverage cartons is often included in figures on the recycling of paper and board, although composite beverage packaging should obviously not be considered paper packaging.
Recovery
The minimum target of 50% has already been achieved by most of the Member States which were to comply with this target by June 2001.
The maximum recovery target of 65% was exceeded in Austria, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. In addition, the available statistics seem to indicate that Sweden, Germany and Denmark might also be under the obligation to apply Article 6(6) of the Directive as regard the recovery rate achieved. Germany and Sweden are not far from the maximum recovery target, whereas Italy and the United Kingdom could not reach the minimum recovery rate of 50% although reporting substantial recycling rates.