08 Mar A look ahead: the revision of the Waste Framework Directive
We asked CLERENS Executive Manager, Aurélien Ballagny, what is the main file that will keep busy people working on the environment and waste sector this year.
In 2023, the European Commission will start revising the Waste Framework Directive (WFD), the main piece of EU legislation for waste.
While the European Union is undeniably leading the sustainable transition worldwide, a lot remains to be done in terms of waste management on the continent.
The focus should clearly remain circularity: how to minimise waste generation and ensure that what ends up in our bins goes back to us as a product. To that end, the European Commission is expected to tackle new waste streams, like textiles, and provide targets and further rules for their treatment.
Alas, many countries in Europe are heavily plagued with landfills and, in some places, more than 80% of the waste is still dumped in a hole. Even before providing new objectives for a specific waste stream, it will be a challenge for many public authorities to reach existing targets to minimise landfilling and maximise recycling. In one way or another, enforcing these targets and giving Member States the tools to do so will be one of the main challenges to come.
But innovative solutions are within our reach, be it modern waste collection and sorting, new ways to secure waste as materials for the energy transition, and even ensuring that non-recyclables are nonetheless used as a resource.
At our humble level, we are glad to be actors in these changes and to provide CLERENS’ expertise to guide our steps towards a more sustainable society.