31 March, Brussels – A position paper from the Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling and Sustainable Resource Management (ACR+) have called for the inclusion of binding waste prevention targets in the European Union’s Circular Economy Strategy.
ACR+ has broadly welcomed the Circular Economy package, which proposes binding targets for recycling of municipal waste and packaging waste, but lacks a target on waste prevention. The previous Circular Economy Package, issued by the outgoing Barroso Commission, had proposed a target of 30% for food waste prevention, but this target was removed in the new proposals.
The Association has also called for a reduction of VAT rates for recycled goods, longer guaranteed lifespans for products, repair and reuse activities, and better-defined EU-wide quality standards for ‘end-of-waste’ status.
For more information, see the ACR+ Position Paper.