Page 60 from: Recycling International: Free Issue, 2 2023

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COLUMN

‘LACK OF WILL’ HAMPERING EU WASTE
LEGISLATION
Leading associations in the waste management and recycling
sector in Europe have expressed concern at a ‘lack of will’ by
some member stateas in implementing EU waste legislation.

Representatives
of Fead, EuRIC,
MWE, and
Cewep contrib-
uted to a dinner
debate in
Brussels to
review progress
of the legisla-
tion.
Policymakers
present included
MEPs, environ-

ment attachés and EU officials.
‘Despite the significance of the legislation, there is still a lack of
political will in many member states,’ a joint press release says. ‘The
discussion focused on exploring the reasons behind this and finding
sustainable solutions to overcome obstacles.’
The debate covered topics including efficient waste shipments, the
potential of waste-to-energy, the improvement of recycling rates,
the use of recycled content targets to drive the transition towards a
circular economy and the importance of enforcement to tackle com-
bat illegal activities.’
EuRIC secretary-general, Emmanuel Katrakis, said that implement-
ing and enforcing waste legislation was essential for a level playing
field in turning waste into resources. ‘Unhampered access to
European and international markets, EU-wide end-of-waste criteria
and recycled content targets are indispensable building blocks for
the transition towards a climate-neutral and circular economy,’ he
argued.
Fead president Claudia Mensi added that closing the ‘implementa-
tion gap’ was essential for realising the full potential of a circular
economy. ‘As a leading waste management industry covering all
aspects of waste, we want a clear recognition that our industry has
shifted from being a service provider at the end of a linear economy
to being at the core of the circular economy.’
Cewep secretary-general Ella Stengler commented: ‘We cannot
afford to waste the materials and energy embedded in the waste.
Therefore, we must properly enforce the European waste laws and
the waste hierarchy.’
MWE secretary-general Vanya Veras said self-sufficiency was crucial
and that was achievable by implementing waste legislation and co-
operating to collect clean waste streams by material ‘extracting
every last grain of value through reuse, recycling and recovery and
keeping it within a circular loop’.
The director of circular economy in the European Commission,
Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea, pointed out that most member states were
at risk of missing the 2025 targets and the bloc faced data quality
issues with unreported waste in some EU countries. ‘We need to
find a few key deliverables, which are also politically appealing and
that mean something not only to the politicians here in Brussels, to
the future Commissioners, but also to the politicians in the member
states so that we can all work together to achieve this.’

Little one,
big footprint

I’m will have to bring my recycling A-game this

year as I’m contributing to an expansion of our

carbon footprint. Joking aside, I’m having a

baby! While navigating the chaotic world of a

mother-to-be, it occurs to me how resource-

intensive a new-born can be.

By Kirstin Linnenkoper

Practise what you preach, they say. I
hate being wasteful and believe in
being a responsible role model for the
little one joining us this summer.
But let’s face it, anything you buy for
babies is short-lived. They grow out of
their clothes every few weeks, sleep in
their crib for two years at most, and
don’t get me started on all those toys
and ‘must have’ accessories aggres-
sively targeted at first-time parents.
We’re all scared we won’t have enough
stuff and don’t want the baby to miss
out on anything. I admit, I’m no excep-
tion. The average cost of a nursery, all-
in, is EUR 3 000-4 000. While friends
and family members have urged me
not to buy into the ‘brand-new’ hype,
my hormones are finding it hard to
shop thriftily.
It doesn’t help that stores have show-
rooms to imitate real-life homes. That

makes the ‘add to cart’ step a very low
threshold. I can just picture it! Our size-
able collection of colourful onesies,
tiny socks and stuffed animals proves
so. What’s one more Blankie?
My circular intentions for our firstborn
include:
• Wooden toys rather than plastic
• Buying (cotton) clothing that is easily

recyclable
• Reusing outfits I used to wear

(thanks, mom!)
• Photographing outfits per size cate-

gory so I’m fully aware of HOW
MUCH we already have

• Experience-based (sensory/educa-
tional) toys rather than a million
teddy bears or glittery dolls

• Preparing home-made food
• Getting footwear for the age the

baby can actually use them. (We all
know they hate socks as one is
always missing…)

• Painting the baby room a neutral
colour that is future-proof

• Getting a crib that you can eventually
turn into a child’s bed

• Minimising the use of electronics and
encouraging outside activities

The rational side of my brain is aware of
the numbers I’m adding to. For exam-
ple, the global fast fashion market was
worth US$ 106 billion last year and is
expected to reach US$ 122 billion by
the end of 2023. Big surprise: western
Europe is currently the largest market –
followed by the Asia-Pacific region.

And did you know we throw out
around 22 billion shoes worldwide
every year? My nephew, Ike, is barely a
year-and-a-half old and already has a
dozen original Nike sneakers. Granted,
he’s the coolest baby on the block.
It provides a chicken or the egg sce-
nario: are parents to blame for the
excess or should producers simply
manufacture better, more sustainable
products with dedicated take-back
schemes?
Meanwhile, furniture seems to have a
shorter life-cycle year by year – they’re
no match for the robust pieces my
grandparents bought. (I doubt my
glass countertop Ikea desk and tur-
quoise swivel chair will pass down the
generations.)
Offices are the main source of furniture
waste. This stream accounts for an esti-
mated 8.5 million tonnes of end-of-life
materials per year in the US alone.
Public buildings such as schools don’t
have sustainable credentials either. I
wonder how high or far down the list
parents come…
The ownership of mobile phones and
computers has shifted from adults to
college kids to teens and, probably,
five-year olds. Indeed, we’re already
discussing limiting the screen time of
our unborn child and will probably veto
a TV in their bedroom in favour of fam-
ily time.
Call me corny or old-school. Our rugrat
probably will anyway.

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