22 Dec. MEP Manuela Ripa (ÖDP) at Saarland event on avoiding packaging waste
MEP Manuela Ripa took part in an Attac Saar event in December on the topic of packaging waste and, in particular, how to avoid it.
As part of the "Boycott Qatar 2022" series of events organized by Attac Saar, a "Kaffeeklatsch Europa" took place on the 3rd Sunday in Advent at the "Haus der Nachhaltigkeit der Weltveränderer e.V." in Saarbrücken. There, the MEP gave a presentation on the regulation recently presented by the EU Commission to reduce packaging and packaging waste.
The current volume of waste in the EU is alarming: packaging waste in the EU has increased by more than 20% in the last 10 years and 180 kg of packaging waste per capita is generated in Europe every year!
The Commission proposal contains waste prevention targets for the first time. By 2030, packaging waste is to be reduced by 5% per EU member state and per capita and by 15% by 2040 compared to 2018.
Important measures for achieving this goal include
- Drinks or take-away meals may only be sold in reusable packaging
- Ban on unnecessary packaging, e.g. disposable packaging for fruit and vegetables
- Introduction of a standardized EU-wide recycling system through standardized symbols on packaging and waste containers. All packaging on the EU market should be recyclable by 2030.
At the discussion round in the House of Sustainability, Ripa also explained suggestions for improving the proposed legislation. These include:
- Stronger quotas for the prevention of packaging waste that reflect the waste hierarchy, i.e. priority for prevention and reuse of packaging over recycling
- Better packaging design to avoid waste
- Toxic-free material cycles to ensure better recycling
All in all, waste is ultimately a luxury that we can no longer afford. We need a general culture of waste avoidance and reuse!
The legislative proposal will be discussed by the European Parliament in the coming months. The event in Saarbrücken was therefore already a good opportunity to exchange ideas with committed citizens and discuss suggestions for improvement.
Image source: Gerhard Schaal