European Parliament endorses Circular Economy Package
The European Parliament endorsed the EU Circular Economy Package at its plenary session on 18 April, aiming not only at waste targets but "profoundly innovating our system of production" and implementing sustainability measures impacting on industry, consumers and public procurers.
The Package, expected to be endorsed by the European Council in the coming months, will see at least 55% of municipal waste (from households and businesses) being recycled by 2025, rising to 60% by 2030, and 65% by 2035. The draft law also limits the share of municipal waste being landfilled to a maximum of 10% by 2035.
Public authorities are at the forefront of waste management, and these new targets will impact how municipalities procure and provide waste collection services to their citizens. ICLEI, as partner in the UrbanWINS project, is currently linking the field of waste and resource management with GPP through its CityMatch programme, which is currently recruiting participants and hosts for staff exchange on sustainable and innovation procurement on waste topics.
For more information on the Circular Economy Package, visit the European Parliament's news website.