Directive (EU) 2018/852 Amending Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste focuses on reusable and reuse of packaging. The amendment requires Member States to take appropriate measures to encourage an increase in the share of reusable packaging placed on the market and the reuse of packaging.
Commencement: 4th July 2018
Amends: Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste
How to read EU Directives
European Directives are not directly enforceable on businesses in the UK. They create obligations for Member States to implement national legislation. However, they may frequently be of interest to businesses because they set the standards which national legislation seeks to implement. Furthermore, UK regulation often incorporates or makes direct reference to sections within the Directives, so you need to refer to the Directive as well as the national regulations to fully understand the duties.
Selected Amendments
Reuse – Article 5
Article 5 (Reuse) is replaced in order to give more detail on the measures Member States can use to encourage the use of reusable packaging. Such measures may include:
- The use of deposit-return schemes;
- The setting of qualitative or quantitative targets;
- The use of economic incentives; and
- The setting up of minimum percentage of reusable packaging placed on the market every year for each packaging stream.
It also sets a number of new recovery and recycling targets for Member States
Recovery and Recycling – Article 6
Article 6 (recovery and recycling) is amended to add a number of targets for Member States, these include:
- No later than 31st December 2025 a minimum of 65% by weight of all packaging waste will be recycled; and
- No later than 31st December 2030 a minimum of 70% by weight of all packaging waste will be recycled.
The following minimum targets by weight for recycling will be met for specific materials in packaging waste:
| No later than 31st December 2025 | No later than 31st December 2030 |
| 50% of plastic 25% of wood 70% of ferrous metals 50% of aluminium 70% of glass 75% of paper and cardboard; |
55% of plastic 30% of wood 80% of ferrous metals 60% of aluminium 75% of glass 85% of paper and cardboard. |
New paragraphs (1a, 1b and 1c) are inserted into Article 6 setting out situations whereby Member States may postpone deadlines for meeting the new targets.
Systems – Article 7
Article 7 is replaced and requires Member States to take the necessary measures to ensure that systems are set to provide for:
- the return and/or collection of used packaging and/or packaging waste from the consumer or other final user, or from the waste stream in order to channel it to the most appropriate waste management alternatives; and
- the reuse or recovery (including recycling) of the packaging and/or packaging waste collected.