Is Europe set to become China’s recycling bin?

 

The EU is considering defining post-consumer plastic waste as “plastic waste placed on the market of a Member State or a third country” – a definition which could threaten the entire recycling industry in Europe, write Lauriane Veillard and Joan Marc Simon.

Lauriane Veillard is Chemical Recycling & Plastic-to-Fuels Policy Officer at Zero Waste Europe and Joan Marc Simon is Director-Founder of Zero Waste Europe.

Not so long ago, the EU, like much of the Western world, used to export a significant amount of its plastic waste to Asia, primarily to China. It took several years for the Chinese to realise the environmental and social impact of being the world’s trash can. Consequently, in 2017, China closed its doors to plastic waste imports. Ironically, only a few years later, the EU could find itself becoming China’s plastic trash can.

In the ongoing negotiations regarding the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the EU is considering defining post-consumer plastic waste as “plastic waste placed on the market of a Member State or a third country.” Such a definition is crucial to determine if the targets for recycled content for plastic packaging should be met with waste originating from the EU or around the world.