LEVIES and incentives aimed at reducing Europe's growing waste mountain are to be considered by the EU Commission in a major review of waste strategy.
At the conclusion of an informal meeting in Dublin Castle, EU environment ministers said yesterday that "urgent consideration" was needed at both EU and national levels to encourage more stable and adequate markets for recycled materials.
With the volume of waste set to grow by 30 per cent, they conceded that current EU targets to stabilise municipal waste generation at 1985 levels by the year 2000 and achieve 50 per cent reuse of all paper, glass and plastic packaging were not going to be met.
"Throughout the European Union, waste is perceived as a highly visible form of pollution," they said. At the same time, decisions and arrangements about its disposal - for example, in landfill dumps - could be "publicly contentious and politically difficult".
The topic was selected by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin, who chaired the meeting which was attended by the EU Environment Commissioner, Ms Ritt Bjerregaard.
The ministers said more effective mechanisms for waste prevention must be put in place. This could be done by accelerating the industrial trend towards cleaner technologies and environmental management as well as developing more eco friendly consumer products.
"There is now sufficient experience of relevant arrangements in member states to suggest that producer responsibility should be recognised more explicitly as a principle of EU waste management policy," they said. But this would have to be done on a "case by case basis".
What "producer responsibility" means, in effect, is that certain industries - particularly in the packaging sector - would be required to take back the waste they generate or to pay the real cost of disposing of it through landfill taxes or levies.
To encourage a more stable market for recycled materials, the EU ministers suggested that initiatives based on public procurement policy and incentives for using a minimum quota of raw materials from recyclables would "merit consideration".
The statement, which was compiled by Mr Howlin and his officials, said proper waste management was "a symbol and test" of sustainable development, because it was closely associated with the "prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources".
The informal meeting also focused on the current round of talks on a new EU treaty. "One of the positive things about the EU has been its support for the environment," Mr Howlin said. "If we are to build public support for a new treaty, this will be extremely important.
