Environment

Local authorities could face mandatory targets to recycle household waste, including packaging, after members of the European Parliament's environment committee voted in favour of the measure yesterday (8 April).

Committee members approved amendments to the Waste Framework Directive that would force councils to recycle 50% of household waste by weight, and 70% of construction and demolition waste by weight, by 2020.

The amendments were tabled by Conservative MEP Caroline Jackson, the rapporteur responsible for leading the directive through the European Parliament.

She said this was the first time that European legislators had set such targets, which reflected the environment committee's concern that "recycling must accompany incineration in order to process waste diverted from landfill".

"Recycling represents a sustainable way of dealing with waste and many countries need to put more effort in to developing recycling schemes," she said. "EU targets will be a considerable incentive to countries whose recycling schemes are slow to develop."

Committee members approved a measure to force European Union member states to stabilise their waste production by 2012 to an amount no higher than they produce this year.

They also voted for energy from waste plants to qualify as 'recovery' rather than 'disposal' operations if they meet new energy efficiency criteria set out in the directive.

Designation as a recovery operation means these plants could burn imported waste and supply power to communities.

Jackson will now start talks with the European Commission and Council of Ministers to secure an agreement for the directive at its second plenary reading, scheduled for June.

More on the directive from www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/envi/default_en.htm

(*) Businesses and community organisations in England can apply for a share of a £4m government fund to support the installation of biomass-fuelled heating and combined heat and power projects, such as anaerobic digesters. The maximum grant is £100,000 and the deadline for applications is 20 May. More from www.bioenergycapitalgrants.org.uk