Parliamentary question

Written question to the European Commission

On 1 January 2021, new EU rules entered into force banning the export of unsorted plastic waste from the EU to non‑OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. In recent years, there has been a huge growth in the production of plastic and consequently the amount of plastic waste. Only around 30 % of plastic waste in the EU is collected for recycling. Around half of this amount is exported for further processing in countries outside the EU.

Considering the lack of adequate recycling infrastructure in the EU to deal with the remaining unsorted plastic waste locally, there has been growing concern among environmental non-governmental organisations about the risk of excessive quantities of plastic waste – which previously would have been exported – ending up being incinerated or dumped in landfills.

1. How will the Commission ensure that the Member States manage the excessive amounts of plastic waste not exported to third countries in ways that are not harmful to the natural and human environment?

2. Besides its important efforts to reduce plastic waste by restricting the use and production of certain plastics, is the Commission planning any concrete incentives to enable investments in new and necessary recycling facilities?

Answer given by Commissioner Sinkevičius on behalf of the European Commission

The European Green Deal indicates that the EU should take greater responsibility for its waste and stop exporting its waste challenges abroad. The new rules on the shipments of plastic waste, which entered in force in January 2021, show that these commitments are turned into binding requirements. The Commission is also planning to propose a revision of the EU waste shipments rules in 2021.

Keeping waste in the EU represents opportunities for the transition to a circular economy in Europe. Dealing with a surplus waste domestically might require investments in waste infrastructure in Member States.

This is also needed to attain the ambitious EU waste legislation targets underpinned by performant extended producer responsibility schemes, which should cover the costs of proper waste management of many plastic products.

As set out in the new Circular Economy Action Plan, the Commission will harness the potential of EU financing instruments to support investments for the transition to a circular economy. This includes funding available under the Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2021-2027.

In addition, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which is the key instrument at the heart of the EUR 750 billion NextGenerationEU, can support modernising waste management systems. This includes separate collection, sorting, reuse and recycling, and circular economy innovations.

As part of the strategic dialogues, the Commission is currently encouraging Member States to include reforms and investments accelerating the transition to the circular economy in their national plans.

The Commission also supports initiatives to boost the demand for recycled plastics in the EU, in line with the Plastics Strategy.