European Commission to consult on Waste Framework revision

Yesterday (24 May), the European Commission launched a public consultation on the revision of the Waste Framework Directive, including the setting of EU food waste reduction targets.

The consultation will focus on prevention (including reduction of food waste), separate collections, waste oils and textiles, and the application of the waste hierarchy and the polluter pays principle.

The revision considers several legislative review clauses referred to in the Directive, as well as the policy objectives set by The European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, and the Circular Economy Action Plan.

The public consultation will be open for feedback until 16 August.

Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: “To achieve the circular economy and climate neutrality objectives of the European Green Deal, we need to make a stronger effort to avoid generating waste in the first place and to make our waste management sector more performant.

“This is what we want to do with this revision and are working to set for the first time food waste reduction targets. I am looking forward to your views on how to make products more useful and less wasteful at the end of their life.”

Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, also commented: “The challenges posed to our climate and biodiversity, the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts make the transition to resilient and sustainable food systems that protect both people and the planet even more important.

“Food waste is one of the greatest sources of inefficiency in our food systems. We must step up our efforts to curb such waste. By introducing legally binding targets to reduce food waste, we intend to reduce the environmental footprint of food systems and accelerate the EU's progress towards our global commitment to halve food waste by 2030.”