European Union: New derogation on packaging

Hungary has been granted a further temporary exemption on recycling of packaging up to 2012. The Community’s new packaging directive passed at the end of January considerably tightens the present recycling rules for member states.

By 31 December 2008, the member states will have to raise the rate of recycling of packaging material from the present 50% to at least 60%. The most stringent new measure is the raising of the specified proportion of recycled material in packaging from the present 25% to 55%. This reduces the applicability of the simpler “energetic” waste recovery by incineration, which will be permitted for only 5% instead of the current 25% of packaging material produced. In addition, Brussels sets recycling requirements for specific materials: 60% of glass, 60% of paper, 50% of metal, 22.5% of plastic and 15% of wood packaging must be subject to at least material recycling by the end of 2008.

The EU’s previous packaging directive was passed in 1994 and came into force in 2001, although three member states – Greece, Ireland and Portugal – were granted temporary exemptions until 2005, and the same deadline for the 50% general recycling rule applies to the new entrants, including Hungary. The three states subject to the present exemption and most of the accession countries will also be granted exemptions from the new directive. Greece, Ireland and Portugal will have until the end of 2001, and most accession countries, including Hungary, until the end of 2012 to meet the new Community specifications.

In Hungary packaging waste is generated at the rate of some 780,000 tonnes each year, about half by households and the other half by industry and trade. The selective waste collection essential for recycling is largely in place for industrial and trade waste, so that in the next few years improvements of reprocessing rates in Hungary will largely take place via the spread of household selective waste collection. Much of this will be financed by packaging makers on a market basis. So far, only just over a tenth of the Hungarian population is involved in selective waste collection, but according to government plans this figure will rise to over 4 million people by the end of 2005.
Source: Világgazdaság online

5 february, 2004  13:48