Den Haag (The Hague) - At the proposal of Minister Huizinga of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM), the Cabinet has approved an amendment to the Environmental Management Act (Wet milieubeheer) in connection with the introduction of the European Waste Framework Directive at the end of 2011. The new legislation is designed to reduce waste generation, promote the more efficient use of scarce raw materials and maximise recycling/reuse.

New highlights of the national policy

Waste prevention is a key priority in the new legislation. Although it is up to the Member States to draft national waste prevention plans that outline how this will be achieved, optimising reuse of waste as secondary raw materials and in other useful applications such as energy generation serve as the guiding principle. Reducing the amount of waste generated and increasing recycling will not only stimulate the development of greener technologies and products, but will also lead to more efficient use of raw materials.

Waste separation

Targets will be set to improve the separation of household waste from construction and demolition waste so that more materials are recycled. Separation at the source is emphasised in the European regulations, provided it is feasible from a technical, environmental and economic standpoint. The European Commission is currently discussing the role of post-collection separation. Finally, the new regulations offer Member States the flexibility to classify certain waste streams as non-waste materials, provided they comply with specific criteria as yet to be specified by the European Commission. Certain waste regulations will not apply to waste streams that conform to these criteria.

Quelle: Ministry of Housing, Spacial Planning and the Environment (VROM)

Zurück