The impact of China's restrictions on imports of waste on EU Member States

Subject: The impact of China's restrictions on imports of waste on EU Member States

Severe restrictions on imports of waste into China were adopted in December 2017 and entered into force in March 2018. These restrictions cover imports of mixed, unsorted paper and a maximum weight for contaminated waste to 0.3 % of the total contained in the shipment. For many Member States, this is tantamount to a ban, as they do not appear to be able to meet these strict conditions.

In view of the above:

How has the Commission reacted to these Chinese restrictions up to now, and does it have a plan as to how to help affected Member States to cope with the resulting precarious situation?

Is the Commission monitoring the impact of Chinese restrictions on affected Member States in relation to the fate of waste that may no longer be exported to China, and if so, what have the results and conclusions of such monitoring been?

If it emerges that ending the export of some types of waste to China will be a major problem for Member States, does the Commission think that it should be solved exclusively at national level, or that EU instruments such as support programmes for intra-EU recycling schemes should be used, complemented by the creation of new legal standards aimed at making recycling easier?

Answer given by Mr Vella on behalf of the Commission

(5 June 2018)

The Commission has raised the issue of the Chinese restrictions in the World Trade Organisation and requested inter alia a clarification regarding the maximum level of impurities in paper waste.

However, the Commission considers that a ban on the import of waste by China is in line with EU legislation recognising that countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development have the right to ban imports of waste for recovery from the EU (1).

The Commission is continuously monitoring the possible impact of the Chinese restrictions on affected Member States. While these restrictions could pose some challenges to Member States in the short-term, they could be considered as an opportunity in the longer term for the EU recycling industry. To support Member States in their efforts to increase recycling capacities, EU funding that is issued in line with the waste hierarchy is available for use by Member States and economic operators.

Member States have the responsibility to monitor waste flows and identify the most appropriate treatment for them. The recently concluded review of the Packaging Directive (2) introduced ambitious recycling targets for packaging waste, including paper and cardboard packaging, for the years 2025 and 2030. The new requirements, which should provide short‐ and long-term incentives and bring more certainty for investment in recycling capacities in Europe, oblige Member States to take action and increase their recycling capacities. In addition, the recent European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy is in part responding to this new challenge (3).

⋅1∙ Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 on shipments of waste (OJ L 190, 12.7.2006, p. 1).

⋅2∙ COM(2015) 596.

⋅3∙ COM(2018) 33 final.