A POISON LIKE NO OTHER
Onderzoeksjournalist Matt Simon windt er geen doekjes om. In zijn nieuwe boek stelt hij dat we met microplastics onze aarde én onszelf hebben vergiftigd.
New plans by the EU to stimulate the reuse and recycling of packaging
13 December 2022
Yesterday Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans presented the EU’s plans to radically reduce the flow of packaging waste. The Plastic Soup Foundation welcomed the emphasis on reuse and the stricter rules announced to prevent plastic waste, but the goal of reducing packaging waste by 15% by 2040 is far from ambitious and could be achieved much earlier.
With all the packaging that we use, we have landed in an untenable situation. Apart from the massive waste of raw materials, it brings enormous damage to the environment. To turn the tide, the European Commission has proposed a new Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste. In eight years’ time all packaging must be reusable or recyclable. The European Parliament and the Council of Europe still need to decide on the objectives and measures before the proposal becomes law.
177 KILOS OF PACKAGING PER PERSON PER YEAR
Over the last 10 years, the packaging waste in the European Union has increased by 20%. Of all the plastic that we use, 40% is used for packaging and in the case of paper this is half. Our waste consists of 36% packaging which equates to 177 kilos per European citizen per year. Together this is a huge mountain of waste, of which a part irreversibly ends up in the environment. The European Commission is choosing to reduce the packaging waste by banning some packaging and making others reusable or refillable. All packaging must also be easily recycled.
The packaging industry’s lobby to sweep these goals off the table has failed, but it did succeed in drastically weakening some of the targets.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE ACHIEVED?
There are four overriding objectives.
- The prevention and reduction of packaging waste, partly through stimulating reuse.
- In 2030 all packaging must be reusable or easy to recycle.
- Plastic packaging must consist in part of recyclate or used plastic.
- A reduction in the use of virgin plastic and climate neutral by 2050.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
- standards for the design of packaging
- a mandatory proportion of reusable and refillable packaging for supermarkets and the catering sector
- the prevention of ‘over packaging’, for example by setting norms on the maximum amount of empty space in boxes of products purchased online
- labels on all packaging containing information to improve separated collection
- mandatory composting standards for certain types of packaging
- a mandatory bottle deposit system for plastic bottles and cans
- a certain proportion of plastic packaging must be made of recyclate, in other words, old plastic as a raw material.
GOOD PLANS BUT LITTLE INTENTION
Examples of preventing waste include banning mini bottles of shampoo in hotels and the individual packaging of fruit and vegetables. But why are not all plastic shampoo bottles banned? After all, shampoo bars are a good alternative. The goals for reuse are incredibly low and a mandatory deposit system is only for plastic bottles and cans, while there are also other types of packaging that could be included, such as detergents. Packaging may not be made unnecessarily heavy in the near future, but there are no weight standards.
The Commission is working on recycling, but for materials that come into contact with food – where hygiene and health are important considerations – recyclates are not always usable. The proposal is not clear on how enforcement will be done in practice.
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