New data published by Eurostat shows that the overall recycling rate in the EU-27 nations increased slightly to 63.6% in 2011, from 63.3% in 2010.
Virginia Janssens, managing director at EUROPEN, The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment, said: “The Eurostat data is encouraging and clearly demonstrates the packaging supply chain’s achievements as, overall, the EU packaging recycling and recovery targets are being met or exceeded.”
However, Janssens said, the figures also underline the need for full implementation and enforcement of EU waste legislation in all Member States to help close the existing gaps between Member States.
With an average recycling rate of 50.6% in the Member States that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007, tailored efforts are still needed to help some of them meet current EU targets.
Janssens added: “The data shows once again that packaging waste management is increasingly resource efficient: there was a 1.9% increase in packaging placed on the market in 2011 compared to 2010 but a 2.7% decline in packaging waste sent for final disposal over the same period.”
According to EUROPEN, differences across EU Member States in definitions used at national level for recycling and recovery, calculation methodologies, implementation and enforcement of EU legislation, waste management infrastructure and consumption rates of packaged goods are “a real obstacle” to all Member States meeting the same existing and future targets.
The starting points of Member States’ recycling and recovery rates varies widely, making a single target and timetable for all member states difficult to achieve – a challenge that formed a key theme for discussion at EUROPEN’s 20th Anniversary event on 9 October in Brussels.
“New EU targets should reflect the impact of potential harmonisation of calculation methodologies and definitions on the existing recycling and recovery rates,” said Janssens.
“The focus should also be on improving extended producer responsibility schemes (EPR) at national level.”
An in-depth EUROPEN analysis of the 2011 Packaging and Packaging Waste Statistics will be available soon.
