Measures proposed by the strategy
The strategy comes as a package. It includes a legislative proposal to modernise the 1975 Waste Framework Directive.
The main elements of the proposed revision of the Waste Framework Directive are:
Focussing waste policy on improving the way we use resources;
Mandatory national waste prevention programmes, which take account of the variety of national, regional and local conditions, to be finalised three years after the entry into force of the directive;
Improving the recycling market by setting environmental standards that specify under which conditions certain recycled wastes are no longer considered waste;
Simplifying waste legislation by clarifying definitions, streamlining provisions and integrating the directives on hazardous waste (91/689/EEC) and on waste oils (75/439/EEC), the latter with a focus on collection rather than on regeneration that is no longer justified from an environmental point of view.
Further measures are programmed for the next five years to promote recycling and create a better regulatory environment for recycling activities. An Impact Assessment accompanies the strategy.