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Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) EU plastic waste shipments are likely to be banned from being sent to third-countries, with better enforcement and surveillance over illegal shipments of waste being considered by the European Parliament.
At stake is a report on the reform of EU procedures and control measures on waste shipments, which has been voted positively by 76 MEPs, with 0 against and 5 abstentions, on December 1.
“Fully utilising waste as a resource should be an essential element of our transition to a circular economy. I am happy that today we could come together in support of a balanced approach on shipments of waste: it ensures safeguards for human and environmental health, while providing the necessary framework for industry to deliver on our ambitions,” said MEP Pernille Weiss after the vote.
Boosting the EU circular economy
Lawmakers defend that EU waste should be reused and recycled within the bloc, boosting the EU circular economy, and that any waste shipped outside the EU must be managed in an environmentally sound manner.
MEPs agree with the Commission proposal to explicitly prohibit shipments within the EU of all wastes destined for disposal, except if authorised in limited and well-justified cases.
According to the Parliament, EU exports of waste to non-EU countries reached 32.7 million tonnes in 2020, representing about 16% of global trade in waste. In particular, EU member states ship more than 1,000 metric tons of plastic waste each year to other countries for recycling, Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced, with nearly half of that plastic waste being sent to Turkey.
Health impact
The recycling process normally emits air pollutants and toxins that cause great damage to the environment and human health. In Turkey, HRW has accused the government of failing to enforce laws and regulations that require strict licensing thorough inspections of recycling facilities and occupational health.
“When I inhaled… it would feel like my lungs were squeezed and under pressure … I stopped working there two months ago, but I still have a problem with breathing,” a 20-year-old waste picker in Adana, Turkey, who had worked at a plastic recycling center as a child told HRW.
Reinforcing prevention
In the report, MEPs called for the development of an EU risk-based targeting mechanism to help EU countries that carry out inspections to prevent and detect illegal shipments of waste.
Other measures in the report are suggesting to exclude exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries and to phase out export of plastic waste to OECD countries within 4 years.
MEPS also want to see requirements to demonstrate that the waste shipped is managed while respecting the environment and they are encouraging partnerships to be built with the waste sector, namely in the context of climate dialogue and the European Commission’s annual reports.
With yesterday’s vote, the Parliament sent a clear message: EU countries should take responsibility for their own waste instead of sending it to countries with weak environmental regulations and little government oversight for environmental, health, and labor rights violations.
The report is set to be adopted during the January plenary, opening way for discussions between the Parliament and EU governments on the final shape of the legislation.
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