Mandatory Recycled Content in Plastic Bottles Wins; Private Waste Management Industry Rejoices

Wednesday, December 19, 2018 – The private waste management sector, represented by FEAD, the European Federation for Waste Management and Environmental Services, rejoices as the final trilogue on the Single-Use Plastic Directive yields a positive vote for a 30 % mandatory recycled content in all beverage bottles by 2030, with an intermediary target of 25% in 2025 for PET bottles. This percentage will be calculated as an average for each member state.

This is an essential component to ensure the success of the 90% collection target, to be achieved in 2029, as well as a huge step forward for stimulating the demand for secondary materials, and for driving the necessary investment in collection, sorting and recycling.

The private waste management industry has been in strong support of such a proposal to be given the green light. We will now start to plan the necessary investments that are needed in our sector to innovate and expand the separate collection, develop sorting and recycling capacity across Europe. We are ready to deliver the quality and quantity, and play our role in transforming the vision of a new plastics economy into reality.
This positive outcome is the news that the European Union has been needing to hear for a long time. We can now truly say that we are becoming a circular economy, and our companies will be there to play their roles and ensure the success of this vital shift.

FEAD’s president, Jean-Marc Boursier said:

“This crucial signal to the market will trigger investments in sorting and recycling facilities. A demand shock in the EU is truly needed to boost recycling and make Circular Economy a reality. This new Directive will show how a real demand policy will dramatically raise the uptake for recycled plastics in beverage bottles, by gathering all market actors along the production and waste value chain”.

For further information please contact the FEAD Secretariat at info@fead.be.