Transboundary movement of waste

Subject: Transboundary movement of waste

At the October plenary session, the Parliament adopted the first European plastics strategy. Europeans produce 25 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, but less than 30% of that is collected for recycling. A large proportion is sent to developing countries that struggle with their on-going disposal. This is also true with respect to other types of waste: we get rid of it in Europe and send it to third countries. This does not solve the pollution issue globally, but rather exacerbates the problem, taking into account the methods used to store and treat exported waste.

Does the Commission monitor the process whereby waste is exported from the EU to third countries?

What are the environmental effects of this approach?

Which documents govern the trade in waste between the EU and third countries?

Answer given by Mr Vella on behalf of the European Commission

(14 December 2018)

EU legislation prohibits the export of hazardous waste to non‐ Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. EU legislation allows the export of non-hazardous waste, including plastic waste for recycling to non-OECD countries only if these countries authorise the import of such shipments and the facilities receiving the waste are operated in accordance with human health and environmental protection standards that are broadly equivalent to those established in the Union.

Under Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 (1), the competent authority of the relevant Member State is obliged to prohibit an export of waste to third countries if it has reason to believe that the waste will not be managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout the period of shipment, including treatment in the destination country.

Member States are obliged to implement these provisions, are responsible to monitor waste flows and also identify and handle possible cases where the provisions of the regulation might not be complied with.

Depending on the types of waste and destination countries, different shipment documentations may be involved. For shipments subject to the notification procedure, main documents include those contained in Annexes IA and IB to the regulation. For shipments not subject to this procedure, the general information requirements of Article 18 apply, and the shipment is accompanied by the document contained in Annex VII to the regulation.

In 2018, the EU strengthened its policy on the management of plastic waste, through adoption of the Plastics Strateg y (2) and the revised legislative framework on waste management (3), that would result in higher recycling rates for plastic waste and less plastic waste sent for disposal.

⋅1∙ Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 on shipments of waste, OJ L 190, 12.7.2006, p. 1, Article 49.

⋅2∙ COM(2018) 33 final

⋅3∙ Directive (EU) 2018/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste

(OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 141).