European Parliament Commits to Achieving 70 per cent Recycling Goal
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 - 11:05:48
MEPs have this week backed a proposal to boost the amount of waste that EU member states must recycle to 70 per cent, with this target scheduled to be met by 2030, according to LetsRecycle.
This comes as part of the Circular Economy Package being introduced in a move to make the continent’s economy more sustainable and ecologically sound, while also providing opportunities for economic growth.
Previously, a recycling target of 65 per cent was on the table, but many politicians and campaigners argued that this did not go far enough to address the issues at hand.
Furthermore, it has been confirmed that legislation should make it essential for recyclable items to be collected separately rather than in mixed batches, to streamline the process of handling them.
Reducing the amount of sorting which is required is one of the main goals, enabling materials to quickly be prepared for use in the manufacture of new products.
While the Brexit vote has made the UK’s exit from the European Union effectively inevitable, it is generally expected that the legislation which is decided on environmental issues by those in Brussels will also be integrated with British rules and regulations going forwards.
Representatives of Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) made clear this month that even after Article 50 has been triggered, Britain will almost certainly choose to stick with the mooted recycling goals.
Moving towards a circular economy, rather than one which is based solely on the consumption of goods and the creation of waste, will enable the UK, Europe and the rest of the world to move forwards without building an environmental time bomb that will have a massive impact on future generations. That said, some would point out that the damage already done has been enough to necessitate even stricter regulations being enforced.
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