EU Waste Framework Directive
EU Waste Framework Directive
The revised EU Waste Framework Directive (revised WFD) was adopted when the Environment Council met on 20 October 2008, signed on behalf of the European Parliament and the Council on 19 November 2008 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 22 November (L312/3) as Directive 2008/98/EC. The revised WFD entered in to force on 12 December 2008.
The revised WFD also provides that the European Commission may introduce a range of measures by means of comitology procedure (e.g. end-of-waste criteria for specified waste streams). These provisions will be available to the Commission from the date of the revised WFD’s entry into force.
Transposition
The legislation to transpose the revised WFD into national law has been made by Parliament and the Devolved Administrations. The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 came into force from 29 March 2011 these can be viewed on the legislation website using the following link:
Guidance
The guidance which the Department proposes to make available, following any necessary consultation, to accompany the transposing Regulations in England includes:-
- Overarching guidance on the transposing Regulations – including a revision of the guidance on the existing Waste Framework Directive provided in the context of the Environmental Permitting system.
- An easy-to-follow guide for businesses on the transposing Regulations.
- A post-consultation version of the guidance on the definition of waste.
- Guidance on hazardous waste.
- Guidance on the registration of professional waste carriers and collectors, and dealers and brokers of waste.
- A post-consultation version of the waste hierarchy guidance (anticipated to be published in May 2011).
- Revision of the guidance provided in Planning Policy Statement No.10 to take account of the revised Directive’s transposition.
Anticipated by late summer 2011
- A revision of the duty of care code of practice provided under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Anticipated by 31 December 2014
- Guidance on the separate collection provisions of the revised Directive and the transposing Regulations – including the implementation of the term “technically, environmentally and economically practicable”.
Other Commission measures
The European Commission has introduced the following measures by means of the comitology procedure:
End-of-waste criteria developed under Article 6 of the revised WFD for
Aluminium and ferrous scrap metal
Information on national end-of-waste criteria (Quality Protocols) can be found on the Environment Agency’s website.
If you have any questions please send them to wfdu@defra.gsi.gov.uk.