EuPR warns the plastics recycling and converting industries on the rules applicable during the transition period for the Regulation 2008/282 (EC) on recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food as confirmed to them by the European Commission. On 28th March 2008, the Regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union and entered into force on the 20th day following this publication.

The regulation organizes a transition period during which applications for authorization of a recycling process shall be submitted to and evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Only when all the recycling processes for which an application has been submitted during the 18 months following
the publication of the EFSA guideline on the 21st May 2008 will have been evaluated by the EFSA, the Commission shall within six months draft the decisions granting or refusing authorization of the recycling process.

Article 16 § 2 of the regulation clearly states that until the adoption of these decisions, national provisions in force concerning recycled materials and articles and recycled plastics shall continue to apply in the Member States. Therefore, before that date the manufacture and trade of plastics recyclate for food contact articles must follow those National rules and restrictions.

Existing recycling processes can only sell to markets where their process has been approved, where they have received a no objection letter or where the National legislation allows it. If a new process is started during the transition period, then the existing National legal requirements should be respected. This could entail asking for a National Authorization covering the transition period.

Quelle: European Plastics Recyclers (EuPR)

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