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DOCUMENTS "COM"
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Vol.1979/0068

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79)144 final
Brussels.22March1979
COMMUNICATION FROMTHECOMMISSION TOTHECOUNCIL
COUNCILMEETING OF9APRIL1979:
GENERALEXCHANGE OFVIEWSONTHETIGHTENING UPOFTHE
COMMUNITY'SENVIRONMENTAL POLICY:
-ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTASSESSMENT WITHINTHEEUROPEAN
COMMUNITY;
-EUROPEAN CONVENTIONS ONTHEQUALITYOFLIFE;
-CLEANTECHNOLOGIES ;
-WASTEMANAGEMENT POLICY.
/' »- , -..
··;'i C*v
Vr- ;;\<- ^ /
CG.VK79)144final

Communication fromtheCommissiontotheCouncil
Subject:CouncilMeetingof9April1979?generalexchangeofviews
onthetighteningupoftheCommunity'senvironmental policy;
environmental impactassessmentwithintheEuropeanCommunity.
1.Duringitsmeetingof18December1978»theCouncil(ofMinisters
withspecialresponsibility forenvironmental policy)heldan
initialexchangeofviewsonenvironmental impactassessments as
amajorcomponentofapreventivepolicyontheenvironment.Having
confirmedtheincreasingimportancewhichwillnodoubt"beassigned
tothisinformation andforecastingtooltheCouncilagreedto
continuethegeneraldiscussion onthematteratitsnextmeeting.
Thismemorandumsetsoutcertain "basicconsiderations which,in
theCommission'sopinion,couldhelpinintroducingthediscussion.
2.Itshouldfirstofall"berememberedthatmanyprinciplesofthe
EuropeanCommunity'senvironmentpolicystresstheneedfor
prevention :
"-Thebestenvironmentpolicyconsistsinpreventingthecreation
ofpollutionornuisancesatsource,ratherthansubsequently
tryingtocounteracttheireffects".
"-Theeffectsontheenvironment ofallthetechnicalplanningand
decision-making processesshouldbetakenintoaccountatthe
earliestpossiblestage.Itisthereforenecessarytoevaluate
theeffectsonthequalityoflifeandonthenaturalenvironment
ofanymeasurethatisadoptedorcontemplated atnationalor
Communitylevelandisliabletoaffectthesefactors."
InadditiononeoftheaimsoftheCommunityenvironmental policy
adoptedbytheCouncilis"toensurethatmoreaccountistaken
ofenvironmental aspectsinstructuralplanningandregional
development".
TitleIoftheEuropeanCommunityActionProgrammeonthe
Environment-OJC139of13June1977.

-2-
3.Thestudies conducted "bytheCommission showed that inallofthe
Member States there are ,andinsome cases have "been foralong
time ,laws ,regulations andadministrative provisions relating ,
inter alia ,tothegranting ofauthorizations forcertain activities
ortothedrawing upofregional development plans which enable
theeffects ontheenvironment ofagiven activity tohetaken
into account tosome extent .
Inaddition ,anumber ofMember States have already incorporated
into their legislation ,orhave examined ,specific provisions
concerning thesystematic assessment oftheeffects onthe
environment ofcertain plans andprojects .Consequently ,
French lawandIrish lawhave introduced anobligation tocarry
out "impact studies "before certain types ofworks areauthorized .
IntheFederal Republic ofGermany aMinisterial decision has
made Federal measures ,programmes andlaws subject tosua
examination ofenvironmental compatibility .Studies have been
carried outorlegislative action iscontemplated inother Member
States (United Kingdom ,Netherlands ,Belgium ).
4«Inview ofthe situation described under Section 3above the
introduction ofanimpact assessment (orstudy )procedure ought
todraw asfaraspossible upon existing procedures and
administrative structures .However ,where appropriate such
procedures ,which areoften restricted toaspecific field of
activity oraspect oftheenvironment ,should gradually be
strengthened andadapted inorder toprovide the "decision -makers "
with adetailed overall view ofthepossible effects
ontheenvironment (asregards thenatural heritage andhabitat )
ofalarge –scale activity orcivil-engineering project .
Impact assessments should supplement thesupervisory procedures
inforce intheMember States ,thereby simplifying them and
increasing their preventive powers ,butinnowayreplace
existing supervisory machinery .Arelevant example isoffered
byFrench legislation ,whereby thesystem of"classified installations "
hasbeen usefully backed upbyimpact assessment procedures .

3-
"Theproceduresexpandedinthiswaywouldconstituteanadvantage
notonlyforthecompetentauthorities ,whowouldobtaina"better
overallviewoftheprojectsand"bebetterequippedtotakea
decision,"butalsoforindustrybysimplifyingitsadministrative
procedures
Thismustalsoapplytothechoiceofthecompetentauthorities
responsibleforimplementing environmental impactprocedures ,who
oughtasfaraspossibletoformpartofexistingadministrative
structures.
SnecialConsidérations
1.Scope
Thepotentialscopeofenvironmental impactassessmentsis
verybroad.Intheoryallactivitieslikelytohavea
significant impactontheenvironment couldbesubjectedto
theminthelongertermi.e.by:civil-engineering works,
demographicplans,economicplans,newproducts,new
technologies ,legislative measures,etc.
Twoapproachesarepossible.
Thefirstisthattheimpactofactivities ontheenvironment
mustfromtheoutsetbetakenintoaccountatalllevelsof
thedecision-making processandinparticularas"upstream"
aspossible.Theadvocatesofthisapproachfeelthat
"impactontheenvironment mustbeexaminedbythepublic
authorities whendecisionsaretakenonregionalplanning
andlarge-scaleinfrastructure projects,thuscreatingan
overallframeworkforallsubsequentprojects.""Many
difficulties whichoneseekstoovercomebyimposingvarious
procedureswillbesolvedpurelybymeansofalong-term
planningbythepublicauthorities whichdetermineswhich
areas(zoned)shallbeusedforwhathumanactivities,,
particularly thosereservedspecifically forindustryand
1thosewhereindustrycansettleundercertainconditions #w
Cf#UNICEMemorandumonEnviicrimentalImpactAssessment
of26September1978(R/3596/78)(ENV.220)-,

-4-
Asecond,approachaimedatavoiding(a)needlessdisruptionofprocedures
andstructuresand(b)cumbersomeadministrative proceduresandunwarranted
costswhichcould"bringthistoolintodisreputeinvolvesproceeding
gradually,andtosomeextentexperimentally ,withtheintroduction
ofimpactassessmentproceduresandtoconcentrate one'seffortsat
firstonalimitedarea,suchascertainlarge-scalecivilengineering
works.
Whateverthesolutionadopteditisclearthattheproceduremustonlyapply
toactivities whoseextentorparticularcharacteristics meantheyare
likelytohaveasignificantimpactontheenvironment andthatit
mustcontinueto"beamanagementtoolamongtheothersusedinthe
decision-making processeslaythepublicauthorities.
2.Participation bythepublic
Thepublicalreadyparticipates intheproceduresexistinginall
oftheMemberStates.
Correctinformation ofthepubliccanhelptoavoidcontroversy
andpurelyemotionalreactions.Consultation ofthepublicalso
enablesabetterinsighttobegainedintotheviewsofthose
directlyconcernedonthepreciseimpactoftheworksinquestion
ontheirlivingconditionsandabetterassessmenttobemadeof
themeritsofthevariousalternatives proposed.
Participation bythepublicthereforehelpstoforgetheimpact
assessmentprocedureintoanintelligent systemtoaiddecision-making
bythecompetentauthorities .
3.Contentoftheimpactstudy
Thismustenable:
"-theareasandcomponentsoftheenvironmentlikelytobe
affectedtobeidentifiedviaanalysisofthesituation
existingbeforeplansareputintoeffect,
-theeffectsofsuchactivities ontheenvironment tobe
foreseen,
–thereasonsforthechoiceselectedfromamongthevarious
possiblesolutionstobeadvanced,
–themeasurescontemplated foreliminating ,reducingor
compensating theadverseeffectsoftheprojectonthe
environmenttobeexplainedindetail."^
Cf.DeclarationbytheFrenchMinisterfortheEnvironment and
QualityofLifebeforetheCouncilon30May1978-Doc.R/l450/78(ENV82)
of19June1978.

Impactassessments thusoffervariousadvantagesapartfromthose
arisingforthepublicauthorities outofamoreprofoundknowledge
oftheprimeimpactofvariousworksandplans.Inthelongterm
theassociation ofthevariousspecializedauthorities responsible
forenvironmental mattersintheassessmentprocessenablesthe
assessmentmethodstoplayapartinauthorization procedures said
inrationalizing ,thedecision-making process.Thesetwofunctions,
coupledwithparticipation ofthepublic,canhelp.toeasecumbersome
administrative procedures,defusecontroversies onenvironmental
mattersandreducethetotalamountoftimeneededforactionand
finallytoimprovethegeneralclimateofinvestment.

Communication from the Commission tothe Council
Subject :Council meeting of9April 1979 'exchange ofviews
onthefurtherance ofCommunity environment policy :
European Conventions onthequality oflife
(1)Inadeclaration made attheCouncil meeting of30May1978 ,the
French Minister fortheEnvironment andtheQuality ofLife ,
Mr.d'Ornano ,proposed that theCommunity sign joint European
agreements with manufacturers onthequality oflife .These
"would beconcerted andaid–hacked programmes forthephased
reduction ofpollution discharges ".
These conventions could "beformulated according tothefollowing
plan :
"a)Register ofthefactories inthebranch andoftheproblems
arising ,taking account -oftheefforts already made ;
b)Inventory ofavailable techniques which could provide
satisfactory solutions ,taking account ofboth purification
techniques andwaste –free technologies ;
c)Report ontheexisting situation andassessment ofanyaction -
which should reasonably beundertaken andofcorresponding
additional costs ;
•••/•••
(1)Doc.R/1450/78(ENV82)of19June 1978

d)Preparation ofafinancing plan ,-taking into account the
financial capacity ofthebranch concerned ,andsearch for
theadditional funds required ;
e)Drawing upofatimetable fortheoperations tobecarried
out ;
f)Setting upofasystem ensuring that theoperations are
followed up."
Points a)andb)incombination will make itpossible toassess
thesituation and topropose aplan ofaction .
Aframework convention would bedrafted onthebasis oftheguidelines
ofthis plan ofaction .Itwould laydown precise objectives tobe
attained within specific time limits ;manufacturers could then ,
especially asregards thetarget purification levels ,beoffered options
with corresponding possibilities forgraduated financial aid .The
scope should also bespecified ,particularly asregards theexclusion
ofnew factories .
This framework convention should beapproved bytheCouncil andcould
besigned bytheCommission and trade associations .
Each manufacturer would then beable tosign with theCommission an
agreement under private lawobserving therules laid down bythe
framework convention butadapted tohis specific type offactory .
TheMember States should maintain thepossibility ofimposing on
their nationals stricter miles than those laid down inthe standard
convention ifrequired bylocal circumstances .

Onaverage ,oneagreement should "besigned peryear extending over
three tofour years according tothesize oftheinvestment tobe
made."^^
Itshould "bepointed outthat this suggestion supplements and
augments "theaction specific tocertain sectors ofindustry "mentioned
theProgramme ofenvironmental action oftheEuropean Communities
(2)approved "bytheCouncil on22November 1973 »action which isalso
included inthesecond programme (1977–1981 )approved "bythe
Council on17May1977*^^
Theprogramme states infact that itisappropriate :
"–toendeavour towork out technical orother measures which could
reduce ,eliminate orprevent thepollutant emissions ornuisances
stemming from each ofthepolluting industries (theworst polluting
"branches number about fifteen );
-tostudy ways andmeans ofimplementing these measures ,
particularly asregards their phasing ,account "being taken ofthe
existing situations ,thestate oftheartandtheeconomic ,financial
andsocial consequences ofthemeasures planned ;
–where necessary ,toputinhand ,atCommunity level such measures
astheexecution orfinancing ofresearch and/ordevelopment work
which isofgeneral interest ,financial aidawards ofCommunity
development contracts ,theconclusion ofagreements onknow-how ,
patents ,licences ,etc."
*••/•••
(1)Doc.R/1450/78(EBTV82)of19June 1978 .
(2)Declaration oftheCouncil oftheEuropean Communities andthe
representatives oftheGovernments oftheMember States meeting
intheCouncil of22November 1973 ontheprogramme ofaction of
theEuropean Communities ontheenvironment (OJC112of20.12.1973 )
(3)Resolution oftheCouncil of17May1977 onthecontinuation and
implementation ofaEuropean Community policy andaction programme
ontheenvironment (OJC139of13June 1977 )*

Without prejudice totheapplication ofArticles 92etseq .of
theTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community onaids
granted byStates andkept under constant review bytheCommission ,
anyaids will beharmonized and areview will bemade ofthe
possibility ofharmonizing theprinciples orsystems ofother (•
measures onenvironmental matters relating tospecific branches of
industry .
Itwill benoted that the action programme clearly states that the
measures inquestion should not affect thefixing ofquality
objectives andstandards bytheCommunity ortheMember States and
that anyfinancial aid granted must becompatible with theapplication
ofArticles 92etseq .oftheTreaty andwith theCommission
Communication totheMember States onaCommunity Approach to
State Aids inEnvironmental Matters (SEC (7^)-^26*0 .Itmust beclear
that these conventions cannot replace rules tocombat pollution
when these are necessary but they canhelp toimplement them by
establishing where andwhen they are toapply and insome cases
byattempting toimplement specific measures (such asusing new
techniques orgranting aid )andwhere necessary addtothem by
working onaspects other than the fight against pollution such as
energy saving ,theconservation ofrawmaterials andworking conditions .
Theaction programme also lists anumber ofbranches ofindustry
which might becandidates for specific action ofthis kind .
TheCouncil might ,without affecting thefixing ofthreshold values
bytheCommunity ortheMember States ,decide toask the Commission
tocooperate with theindustries concerned inundertaking thework
referred toin theplan proposed byMr. d'Ornano
for thefollowing branches ofindustry :

5-
-tneasbestos industry ,
-industries producing andusing fluorocarbons ,
-certain industries (still to "bespecified )intheagri-food
sector .

COMMUNICATION FROMTHECOMMISSION TOTHECOUNCIL
Subject:Councilmeetingof9April1979:generalexchangeofviewson
thefurtherprogressoftheCommunity'senvironmental policy:
cleantechnologies .
Oneoftheobjectsofenvironment policyshouldbetoencourageproducers
tomakethemostefficient useofrawmaterials andenergyandtoreduce
pollutingeffluentsdischargedintotheenvironment andthequantitiesof
wastegeneratedbothinthemanufacture andintheuseofproducts.
Cleantechnologies directlyservethisaim.
I.THECONCEPT
Theconceptof"cleantechnologies coversthreedistinctbutcomplementary
purposes :
(i)lesspollution,thatis,lesseffluentdischargedintothenatural
environment (water,airandearth);
(ii)lesswaste:thisiswhyreferenceisoftenmadeto"low-wasteor
non-wastetechnologies";
(iii)lessdemandonnaturalresources (water,energyandrawmaterials).
Theterm"cleantechnologies "primarilycallstomindthenon-pollution
aspect.Itmaybepreferabletousethemorecommonterm"softtechnologies".
Therearecertainlinksbetweencleantechnologies andstandards.Itis
truethatcleantechnologies cannotreplacestandards;buttheycanhelp
toensurethatstandardsareapplied.Theirdevelopment couldalsobe
partofsectoralagreements .:

2.Foramanufacturing processwhichconsumesenergyandrawmaterials
andgeneratesbothpollutionandwaste,theundertakings mayadopt
oneoftwoapproaches :
(a)theymayconsiderthatthegenerationofpollutantsand/orwaste
isanecessaryconsequence oftheindustrialactivity,andsothey
mayaddtotheirproductionplantexternalequipmentforthedestruc-
.tionofthesematerialsaftertheyhavebeenproduced;or
(b)theymaytakeactionatthestagewhereeffluents -andwastearepro­
ducedinordertopreventthementirelyorreducetheirvolumeor
replacethembylessharmfulby-products .
Theroleofcleantechnologies isthereforebothquantitative,toreduce
theamountofwasteandpollutionandeconomizeonresources,andquali­
tative,tochangethenatureofthewasteandpollutiongenerated.
3.Cleantechnologies canbeintroducedinboththedesignandtheoperation
oftheproductionprocess:
Itmaybepossibletomodifytheproductionprocessinordertoeconomize
resourcesandcutdownwasteandeffluents,oreveneliminatethemalto­
gether.Anexampleisofferedbycertainpaperpulpmanufacturing pro­
cesses.
Anotherapproachistoutilizewasteoreffluentinacomplementary
productionactivity.Forinstance,flyashfrompowerstationscanbe
usedtomanufacture cement,andwheycanberecoveredandusedincheese
factoriesforthemanufacture ofanimalfeedingstuff sorfoodstuffsfor
humanconsumption.
II.THEFRAMEWORK
Toensurethatcleantechnologies areintroducedwiththeutmostefficacy,
actionmayhavetobetakeninawiderframeworkthanthatofthedesignand
operationofthemanufacturing process.Actionmaybecalledforinthefol­
lowingareas:

-3-
1.Product design :toensure ,forinstance ,correct selection ofthe
rawmaterials andsecondary rawmaterials required andconsumption
ofaslittle energy andrawmaterial aspossible inmanufacturing
and,intheuseoftheproduct toensure the longest possible use­
ful life and tofacilitate recovery and recycling after use .
2.Thedesign andjuxtaposition offactories ,inorder tofacilitate
theusebyone factory ofthe waste ortheenergy produced byanother
factory .
3.Organization :aseries ofmeasures concerning factory organization ,
particularly thesequence ofproduction operations ,maysubstantially
improve theefficacy ofthe clean technologies used ;examples are
improvements atspecific points intheproduction chain ,andmore
rigorous control atcertain points inthemanufacturing process .
Theintroduction ofclean technologies canalso usefully include the
design andoperation ofwaste exchanges toallow thewaste from one
industry tobeconverted into rawmaterials forusebythesame sector
orbyother production sectors .
Quite apart from theadvantages they offer inthe reduction ofpollution
andwaste andtheconservation ofresources ,clean technologies maybe
asource ofinnovation .They canopen the way foranindustrial break­
through inthesectors concerned ,thedevelopment ofnewindustries and,
insome cases ,improved productivity .
m .THE MEANS FOR DEVELOPING CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES
While thebrunt oftheeffort must beborne bythecompanies themselves ,
thepublic authorities must also beable topromote thedesign anduse
ofclean technologies byproviding aframework ofsupporting measures ,
inthefollowing areas :

-4-
(a)researchanddevelopment
(b)theexchangeofscientificandtechnicalinformation
(c)incentivestoindustrialcooperation suchaswasteexchanges,transfer
oftechniquesbetweenindustries (patents,licencesandknow-how)
(d)thepromotionofcertainindustrialadaptations bymeansofcommunityor
nationalassistanceforthedevelopment ofcleantechnologies insectors ,
selectedonthebasisofcriteriasuchas:
(i)theeconomicsituationofthesectorinthelightofcompetition
Cii)impactonemployment
(iii)thepollutiongenerationorresourcehungerofthesector
(iv)theinnovatorynatureofthetechnologies .
Itisalsoclearthatemissionstandardsandchargesforgeneratingpollution
orwasteareincentivestothedevelopment ofcleantechnologies .The
Council'sopiniononthesedefinitions andthemeansadvocatedwouldbea
valuableguide.
Asafirststep,theCommission,inconjunction withthenationalauthorities
andrepresentatives ofindustrycouldmakeasurveyofthesectorsprimarily
concerned,whichcouldthenbeusedtodeterminethetypesofmeasureneeded
todevelopcleantechnologies andthelevelsatwhichtheyshouldbeintro­
duced.

Communication fromtheCommission totheCouncil
Subject:Councilmeetingof9April1979:generalexchangeofviews
onfurtherance ofCommunityenvironment policy:wastemanage
mentpolicy.
1.Wastemanagementpolicy,bothintheMemberStatesandatCommunity
level(1),attemptstoachievetwocomplementary goalsatonce.These
are:
-moreeffectiveprotectionoftheenvironment byreducingand,where
possible,preventing wasteandthenuisanceswhichcanresultfrom
itsdisposal,and
-theconservation andmoreefficient useofrawmaterials andthe
energywhichtheyprovide.
2.Generallyspeaking,thestepstakencomeunderthreeheads:
-alteration andreductionoftheflowofwaste;
-increasedexploitation ofwaste(re-useofproductsandrecycling
orfurtheruseofmaterials);
-environmentally andeconomically satisfactory disposalofnon-re­
coverable ornon-recovered waste.
Ithasalsobeenobservedthatattentionispaidincreasingly topre­
ventingtheoccurrenceofwaste(cleantechnologies )andthatthedesire
tosaveenergyisplayingagreaterroleindetermining whichmeasures
shouldbetaken.
3.AtpresenttheCommunityproducesapproximately 1.800milliontonnes
perannum(t.p.a.)ofallkindsofwaste,orroughly5milliontonnes
perday.
Thisfigureincludes,inparticular,950milliontonnesofagricultural ,
350milliontonnesofindustrial and90millionofurbanwaste(2).
Thetotalvalueofnon-recovered substances producedeveryyearinthe
EECprobablyexceeds10.000millionEUA.Ifthesesubstances couldbe
recycled,importsavingsamountingtobetween5.000and7.000million
EUAcouldbemade.
(1)ActionprogrammeoftheEuropeanCommunities ontheEnvironment "of
17May1977(0JN°C139of13June1977)andCouncilDirectiveof
15July1975onwaste(0JN°L194of25July1975).
(2)FormoredetailsseeR/2866/78(EIMV-,189)orCOM(78)601 whichwas
submittedtotheCouncilon18December1978.

4.Considerations offimadeterminethenatureofthemeasures
employed.Various involvedsuchasthetypeofwaste,the
economicorganization Mefnberstates,thelocationandconcen­trationofindustryVldenceoncour>triesabroadforcertainimports,
theexistenceofre'o^channelsandofmarketsforthematerialsre­
covered,etc.-/
Themeasuresinc9régulations,taxmeasures,contracts,coopération
agreementsetr■/designedtoencourage,compensateorsupport,
variouscours-/7''act1on-
1.Theyinvol«/'Partlcular •*
-theprf/f<3t1'onandapplicationoflegislationandregulations;-settir./JPsupportingadministrative instrumentsatdifferentlevels,
whet'/national,regionalorlocal(e.g.theNationalAgencyfortheRecAryandEliminationofWasteinFrance-AgenceNationalepourls/^cuperationetI'EliminationdesDechets,ortheWasteManagement
/y/isoryCommitteeintheUnitedKingdom);
-/ieimplementation ofnationalorregionalplansforcollecting,trea­tingandeliminating waste;
/-researchwithaviewtoencouragingrecycling (howtotackle,for
instance,theproblemofadhesivesandinkspresentinwastepaper
whichisusedforpaperproduction);
-makingthepublicawareofrecycledproductsandtrainingmanagement
staffwithspecificresponsibility forwaste,asisdoneincertain
factoriesinGermany;
-systematicandstructuredcooperation betweenusers,manufacturers,
recoveryoperators andpublicauthorities;
-sectoralcontractsbetweeninterestedfirmsandpublicauthorities
toensureasupplyconstantinprice,quantityandquality:...--
-drawingupspecifications relatedtotheuseofthe^rouun.t,e.g.in
makingofpaper);
-introducing variousfinancialinstruments :
a)subsidies (orpayments,orindemnities )for
.systematiccollection,and
.pilotprocessing plants
b)chargesonnewproducts(e.g.tyres,packaging,lubricants).
TheCouncilcouldthenreviewthesepointsandweightheirimportance .
Itcouldthenconcentrate onafewspecificsectorsandexamineforeach
inturnthesolutionswhichbesttaketheinterestofsocietyasawhole
intoaccount.
TheCouncil'sreviewmightcoverfourimportantcategories ofwaste,
namely:wastepaper,wasteoil;beveragepackaging andoldtyres.It
isreallythepublicauthorities whoareresponsibles eitherdirectly
orindirectly,forthedisposalofurbanwaste.Furthermore,there­
covery,furtheruseandrecyclingofthiswastecanmakeasubstantial
contribution totheconservation ofresources andenergyandtoprotec­
tingtheenvironment :

-Packagingnowaccountsforroughly30%byweightofurbanwaste.The
manufacture ofpackagingdemandsconsiderable expenditure ofenergy
andrawmaterials.Packagingalsocontributestolitterandtoair
andwaterpollution.Beveragecontainersaccountforroughly10%by
weightofurbanwaste(non-returnable bottles,tinsandplasticcon­
tainers).
-Wastepaperrepresents 15-20%ofthetotaltonnageofurbanwaste,
or15-17milliontonnesperannum,andbetween40and50%byvolume
TheEuropeanCommunities dependonimportsfor50%oftheirpaperand
woodfibre.Thedeficitinwoodanditsderivatives is8.000million
EUA-secondonlytopetroLeumproducts.Atthemoment9-10million
tonnesofwastepaperisusedinthemanufacture ofpaperandboard,
whichisone-thirdoftheCommunity'sconsumption ofpaperproducts
(30milliontonnes).Usingwastepaperinsteadofvirginpulpwould
saveenergyandreducepollution.However,therearecertainlimits
totheuseofwastepaperintheproductionofpaperandboard,limits
whicharebotheconomic(connectedwiththepriceofvirginpulp)and
technical (inparticulartheamountofrecycledwastepaperwhichcan
beincludedincertainfinishedproducts).Furtherusesshouldthere­
forebefoundforcertaincategoriesofwastepaper.
-Wasteoil:thetotalconsumption oflubricantsintheCommunity
amountstoroughly4milliont.p.a.andwasteoilto2milliont.p.a.
ofwhichslightlymorethan1millioniscollected.Uncontrolled
disposalofwasteoilthereforeaccountsforapproximately 50%.
ACommunityDirectiveof16June1975(1)laysdownrulesforthere­
coveryoftheseoilsandprovidesfortheirdisposal,ifpossible,by
recycling(reclamation andorburningotherthanfordestruction).
MemberStateshavegenerallyoptedforoneorotherofthesesolutions
ItwouldbebeneficialfortheCounciltocomparethemeasuresadopted
bycertainstateswhichenablethemtoachieveaveryhighpercentage
ofrecovery.Itwouldalsoberelevanttoexaminethecomparative
advantagesofreclamation andburningwithenergyrecoveryinrelation
totheresourceandpollutionbalance.
(1)0JN°L194of25July1975.

-4-
-Oldtyresaccountforapproximately 1.8milliont.p.a.ofwasteonly
800000tonnesarere-used(retreading;publicworksandbuildings;
someexported).Approximately 1milliont.p.a.isdisposedof(i.e.
dumpedorincinerated).Itseemsappropriatetoexaminethiscate­
goryofwastefromthepointofviewofthecostofimportedraw
materialssuchasrubberandoil,ofthepollutioncausedbythe
productionoftyresandoftheproblemsarisingfromthedisposal
ofthewaste.
TheCouncilcouldexaminethemethodsandtechniquestobeusedfor
eachsectorandthemeasuresrequiredtopromotethemorerational
useoftheseresources.Anoteoneachofthesefourtypesofwaste
isannexedforthispurpose.

ANNEX I
RECOVERY OFWASTE PAPER
I.DEFINITION OFTHE PROBLEM
1.Atpresent waste paper represents roughly 40to50%byvolume and15to20%
byweight ofurban waste ,or15to17million t.p.a .;this causes aproblem
with theaccumulation ofwaste ,pollution anddisposal costs .
And less pollution occurs when waste paper isused inthemanufacture of
paper products than results from themanufacture ofpulp and ofpaper
products from it.
Anestimated six-fold energy saving ismade ifpaper products are
manufactured from waste paper rather than pulp .
2.TheCommunity today consumes 30million tonnes ofpaper andboard ayear ,
ofwhich only 14million tomes isproduced from fibres originating within
theCommunity (5million tonnes ofwood fibre ,9-10million tonnes offibres
recycled fromwaste paper )\Imports ofpaper and ."board ,paper fibres ,wood
derived products therefore amount to15million t.p.a .,or8.000 million EUA
deficit second only tothat forpetroleum products .
Itistherefore highly desirable that more use should also bemade of
waste paper inorder toreduce ourdependence onoutside sources interms
ofresources andcurrency .
3.Since 1974 thequestion ofwaste paper hadbeen complicated bythe fact
that theeconomic crisis has caused aconsiderable fall intheprice
ofpulp andthat ,asaresult ,theprice ofwaste paper isnolonger
attractive ;this applies tomany quality grades ,especially thehigher
ones .Itshould benoted ,however ,that since the4thquarter of1978
theprice ofpulp hasbeen rising .

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4.Recovery ofwaste paper has,ofcourse ,been affected bythecrisis ;it
isnow inavery difficult situation ,asaremany firms inthepaper
industry .
$
5.TheMember States responses tothe problem have varied .The United
Kingdom ,forexample ,which lacks major forestry reserves introduced
in1976 ascheme tothepaper andboard industry worth approximately
b23million forwaste paper processing equipment and theNetherlands
hasbrought inasystem ofaids forwaste paper storage andde-inking .
II.OBJECTIVES
1.Increased utilization ispossible ,since thewaste paper utilization rate (1)
intheCommunity paper industry is40% onaverage but could beraised to
asmuch as60% .Admittedly ,theCommunity average of40% isbased on
situations which differ widely from oneMember State tothe next ;some
have already attained arate ofapproximately 50% .
2.Recovery should beincreased atthe same time .Theaverage Community
recovery rate <2)isnowover 30% .Here again thesituation varies
considerably from oneMember State tothenext :inIreland ,forinstance ,
itis19%,intheNetherlands 45% .
(1)Theutilization rate istheratio ofthetotal tonnage ofwaste paper
consumed totheproduction ofpaper andboard .
(2)The recovery rate isthe ratio ofthetotal tonnage ofwaste paper
recovered totheapparent consumption ofpaper and board .

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Theincreaseispossiblebecauseatthemomentonly9-10milliontpa
isrecoveredfromanavailabletotalof25million;15-17milliontpa
isdiscardedwithhousehold refuse.
Thereareeconomicandtechnicallimitsontheachievement ofthese
objectives.Itshouldbenotedthatasignificant increaseintherecovery
andutilization ofwastepaperwillcreatecostdifficulties (the
organization ofsystematic separatecollection-sometimesfrommore
remoteplaces-and,wheremanufacture isconcerned,extrainvestment
forthede-inking anddecontamination ofwastepaper).Moreover,while
mostfinishedpaperproductsmaycontainahighproportion ofwaste
paper,somelendthemselves morereadilythanothertoitsinclusion.
III.MEASURES
Actionsshouldthereforeaffectboththesupplyanddemandforwastepaper.
Inaccordance withtheguidelines adoptedbytheWasteManagement Committee
thefollowingmeasures(forexample)couldbetaken:
A.Demand:
1)Useofrecycledpaperbypublicbodiesshouldbepromoted.
2)Treatmenttechniques shouldbedevelopedtoenablepaperproducts
whichcontainacertainproportion ofrecycledfibrestocompete,on
bothqualityandprice,withpapermanufactured fromvirginpulp
(de-inking,decontamination )(seeCommunityresearchprogramme-
0JN°L107of21April1978).
3)Specifications forthevariouspaperproductsshouldbedrawnup
toenablethequalityofmanufactured paperstobebettermatched
totheusethatismadeofthemandtoavoidthepresenceof
contaminated substances whichwouldprecludeorimpederecycling
operations .
B.Supply:
1)Thewastepaperrecoveryoperatorshouldbepaidbythepublic
authorities forcollecting "waste"..

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2)Long-term supply contracts between recovery operators andmanufacturers
should beencouraged .
3)Investment which encourages thedevelopment ofwaste paper should be
subsidized .
The Council could compare the respective merits ofthe'various measures
and consider others ifnecessary .
For itspart ,theCommission iscurrently considering which ofthese measures
could bethesubject ofaCommunity action ,particularly with aview to
improving thedemand forwaste paper .

ANNEX II
WASTE OIL
I.DEFINITION OFTHE PROBLEM
1.In1978 thenine Member States oftheCommunity consumed roughly 4.3 million
tonnes oflubricants ,producing some 2.1million tonnes ofwaste oil .Itis
estimated that approximately 50% ofwaste oil iscollected and50%discharged
without controls into the environment (see attached table ).
2.Looked atquantitatively ,waste oilonly represents asmall part ofthe
total Community waste flow ;nevertheless ,itisofconsiderable importance ,
owing to :
-the scale ofthepollution which itcauses ;
-itshigh economic value ,and
-theneed toimport the rawmaterials required formanufacturing new
lubricants ,andthecurrency savings which result from the recovery
ofwaste oil .
3.Waste oil isapotential secondary rawmaterial which can berecycled
and re-used almost initsentirety bysuccessive regeneration and/or
incineration combined with energy recovery .Regenerated oilalready
accounts forabout 12% oftheCommunity market for lubricants .
4.Regeneration and incineration arethetwomain forms which reuti lization
ofwaste oiltakes ;the first accounts for80%andthesecond 20% inthe
Community asawhole .Inthe Federal Republic ofGermany 91% ofwaste oil
isregenerated andonly 9%incinerated .
5.The trend incrude-oil prices since 1973 has resulted inincreased direct
utilization ofwaste oil forcombustion purposes bysmall-scale producers
andholders ofwaste oil (garages ,etc )orsale bythem todirect users .
Theburning ofwaste oilwithout preliminary treatment toremove the
considerable quantities ofheavy metals thus leads toincreased
atmospheric pollution .
./.

II.OBJECTIVES
Recovery ofwaste oilfulfils twoobjectives :
-reduction ofpollution and
-conservation ofrawmaterials and foreign currency .
III .SYSTEMS FOR DISPOSING OFWASTE OILS EMPLOYED INTHE MEMBER STATES
Insix ofthenine Member States waste oil iscollected .systemati callybut
only two,Denmark andthe Federal Republic ofGermany ,have awell-structured
collection anddisposal system setup,organized and controlled bythepublic
authorities .
Inth-e United Kingdom alarge proportion ofwaste oil isdisposed ofbysmall -
scale recovery operators and bysmall tomedium-sized users .Nevertheless
only 170000tonnes out ofatotal of545000 tonnes ofwaste oilproduced
was recovered in1977 .Most isburnt directly ;68000tonnes was regenerated
in1976 /77.
Italyhas acompulsory recovery system .From theinformation atthe
Commission 'sdisposal ,itwould seem that thesystem isonly applied by
the authorities andpublic bodies .Out ofthe 270 000 tonnes ofwaste oil
produced annually ,approximately 110000tonnes iscollected ;roughly
70000tonnes isregenerated .Regenerated oil istaxed atalower rate
with aview toensuring the safe disposal ofwaste oilandpromoting
its further use .
InFrance thedisposal ofwaste oil isregulated bythe Decree of20November
1956 which lays down that allwaste mineral lubricating oil istoberegenerated .
Three large recovery firms collect roughly 340000 out ofthe 500000tonnes
produced .Inaddition there isalarge number ofsmall-scale recovery operators
whocollect roughly 40000tonnes ^which ismostly burnt .
Upto1July 1979 regenerated oil istobeexempted from tax with aview to
ensuring thesafe disposal ofwaste oilandpromoting its re-use .
InDenmark the recovery and recycling ofwaste oilare subject tocomprehensive
regulation .Holders who cannot themselves dispose harmlessly ofwaste oil and
donothave alicence toprocess itareobliged todeliver ittoalocal
collection centre ,which records incoming consignments .Iftheimpurities in
waste oilreceived exceed 5%,theowner must payforsubsequent disposal and
recycling .TheCommission hasnostatistics onrecovery .
Local collection centres send their waste oil tothe national treatment
centre atNyborg where itisprocessed inpreparation for use asheating
oil .Only asmall quantity -1000to2000tonnes peryear -isregenerated .

TheFederalRepublicofGermanyhasthemostcomprehensive recovery,disposal
andreutilizationsystematpresentthankstotheLawof23December1968.
Thus,almostallwasteoiliscollected,re-usedanddisposedofharmlessly.
Ofthe525000tonnesofwasteoilproducedin1977,only8800tonneswas
disposedofwithoutcontrols.Roughly91%wasregenerated and9%incinerated .
UndertheLawof23December1968afundwassetuptomeettheuncovered
costsoffirmslicensedandapprovedtodisposeofwasteoils.Thisisnot
aidbutratherpaymentforservicesrendered,forthesefirmsareobliged
tocollectallwasteoilproducedinanareaallocatedtothembytherelevant
authority.Thefundisfinancedbyachargewhichiscollected whenthe
lubricants arefirstsold.
Allholdersofwasteoilsmustkeeparecordofalltechnical andeconomic
information onwasteoilwhichtheyhold,receiveorpasson.
Itisthuspossibletofollowtheflowofwasteoilfromtheoriginalsource
tofinaldisposal.
Everythreeyearsthegovernment hastosubmitareporttoParliament onthe
fund'sactivities .
Thegovernment hasrecentlycompleteditslegislation byprohibiting the
burningofwasteoilinsmalltomedium-sized furnaceswithnomeansof
pre-treatment and/ofcleaningthesmokewithaviewtoreducingpollution
andavoidinganyriskofexplosion,etc.
IV.COMMUNITY RULESANDMEASURES
On16June1975theCounciladoptedaDirective onthedisposalofwaste
oil(1).ThislaysdownthatMemberStatesmusttakethenecessary measures
toensuretherecoveryandsafedisposalofwasteoilandthat,asfaras
possible,disposalshouldbecarriedoutbyrecycling.
Theapplication ofthisDirectiveatnationallevelappearstoberather
slow.Yetitaffordsthebestmeansofattainingtheaboveobjectives .
Inparticularitprovidesfor:
-thesetting-upofarecoverysystemwithlicensedfirmshavinganobligation
tocollect(article5);
-strictinspectiontoseethatwasteoilisnotdischarged andtoprevent
pollutionbeingcausedbywaste-oilprocessing (article4);
-theobligation onholdersofwasteoiltokeep&recordgivingtechnical
andeconomicinformation sothattheflowofwasteoilsmaybefollowed
fromtheoriginalsourcetofinaldisposal(article10);
-thepaymentofindemnities forservicesrenderedtomeettneuncovered
costsincurredintheobligatorycollection anddisposalofwasteoils
(article13);
-thefinancingoftheindemnities byachargetobeimposedonlubricants
whentheyarefirstsold(article14).
(1)0JNoL194of25July1975.

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Theexample oftheFederal Republic ofGermany ,which haspractised these -
measures for anumber ofyears ,shows this tobetrue .
The Council could examine and compare the results obtained from themeans
employed intheMember States .

recycLîng^of waste .MemberStates(1977)
m
(Estimate)
M
MemberStates TotalinlandTotalrecover-Wasteoil
consumption ableoilcollected
oflubricants (estimate)
T. T. T.WasteoiI
burnt
T.WasteoiI
regenerated
T.Totalwaste
oilcapableof
regeneration
(estimate)
T.Direct
disposai
T.Disposai
without
controls
T.
Belgium 200.000 100.000 15.000 13.000 2.000 13.000
Denmark 90.000 45.000
France 1.020.000 500.000 380.000 40.000 93.000 170.000 60.000
UnitedKingdom 1.029.000 545.000 170.000 68.000
Ireland 35.000 17.000
Italy 546.000 270.000 110.000 40.000 70.000 180.000
Luxemburg 8.600 3.000 2.000
Netheila,ids 229.000 110.000 80.000 80.000 550
FederalRepublic 1.108.000 527.000 333.000 30.952 303.000 400.000 184.248 8.800
TOTAL 4.265.600 2.098.000 1.088.000 205.952 536.000 750.000 257.248 9.350
Roundedup 4.300.000 2.100.000 1.100.000 206.000 540.000 750.000 260.000

ANNEXIII
PACKAGING FORBEVERAGES
I.Definition oftheproblem
1.Beveragepackagingcausessocialcostsforthreethings:waste
disposal;airandwaterpollution;andlitter.Thesecostsare
notbornebythosewhocausethem,i.e.manufacturers,distributors
andconsumers.Moreover,packagingconsumesenergyandrawmaterials.
Evenaroughestimateishardtomake,butshowssocialcoststobe
substantial (about680millionEUA).
2.Socialcostsvaryconsiderably withthetypeofpackaging :theyare
muchhigherfornon-recycled throwawayglassthanforplastic,and
generallyhigherforplasticthanforreturnableglass.Whenthey
chooseaparticular formofpackaging,consumersandmanufacturers
donothavetotakealltheconsequences oftheirchoice.
3.Sincesocialcostsarenotincludedinthepriceofpackaging,the
marketdoesnotcausethebestdistribution betweenthevarious
formsofpackagingto.beachieved.
II.Objectives
1.Thesoundmanagementofenvironmental resourcesrequiresthatmarket
deficiencies shouldbemitigatedbyrestrictingtheproduction,con­
sumptionordischargeofpackaging.
2.Theserestrictions canbeachievedbymakingproductslighter,by
recovery,byrecyclingmaterialsorbychangingthewayinwhich
packagingisused(e.g.,depositchargesandre-use).

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III.Measuresemployedorunderconsideration intheMemberStates
1.Itisnoteasytofindasolutionwhichwouldatonceminimize
manufacturing anddistribution costs,maximizeconsumersatis­
faction,reducesocialcostsandsafeguardemploymentinthe
regions.
η
2.Variousinstruments canbeusedtosupportintervention bythe
publicauthorities .ThusMemberStateshaveadoptedvarioussolu­
tionseitherbylegislating orbyencouraging voluntaryagreements.
3.InDenmarkanoutlinelawempowersthecompetentauthorities to
restrictorprohibitthemarketingofcertaintypesofpackaging
andtointroduceanobligatorydepositchargeoncertaindrinks.
Thesaleofsoftdrinksinnon-returnable containers (cansand
bottles)hasbeenprohibitedsince1977.Theconclusionofavolun­
taryagreementbetweenbrewersandimporterswasencouraged bythe
MinistryoftheEnvironment inordertophaseoutthesaleofbeer
incans.Underthisagreementbeerwillnotbemarketedincans
after1981.
Since1978atax,variedaccordingtothecontainer'scapacityand
thepackagingmaterialsusedhasbeenappliedtoallbeverages
(includingmilkandmilkproducts).
IntheFederalRepublicofGermanygeneralmeasuresenablethe
productionofcertaintypesofpackagingtobeLimited.Forbeer
therearevoluntaryagreementsbetweenbrewersconcerningtheuse
ofreturnableglassbottles.However,itisstillpermittedto
sellbeerincansornon-returnable bottles.Thecompetentautho­
ritieshavealsoencouragedindustrytostepupthecollectionof
bottlesandtherecyclingofglass.

IntheNetherlandsmanufacturers havereachedagreementsrelatingto
thedepositchargeoncontainersforbeerandsoftdrinks.Thepublic
authorities supporttherecyclingofmaterialsandthecreationof
bottlebanks.
InFrancethetendencyseemstobetowardsvoluntaryagreements which
restrictnon-returnable packagingandtowardsfinancialincentives
(e.g.ataxdesignedtointernalizesocialcosts).Atthesametime
therecyclingofglassandplasticsisencouraged.
InLuxembourgthepromotionofvoluntaryagreementstorestrictnon­
returnablepackagingisbeingconsidered.Frameworkmeasuresgive
thecompetentauthorities thepowertorestrict,orevenprohibit,
certaintypesofpackaging. ,,
IntheotherMemberStatesthepreferredcourseseemstobetoen­
couragetherecyclingofmaterials (possiblythroughsubsidiesfrom
publicfundsortheintroduction ofbottlebanks).
Voluntarystandardization seemstobeanaiminseveralstates.
Itmustbepointedout,however,thatcertainmeasurestakenby
MemberStatesinisolationmayconflictwithCommunitylaw.
TheCouncilcoulddiscussthevariousmeansemployedandtheir
meritsbycomparingtheresultsachievedintheMemberStates.

ANNEX IV
THE MANAGEMENT OFWASTE TYRES
I.DEFINITION OFTHE PROBLEM
1.In1978 thenine Member States produced some 1.8million tonnes ofworn-out
tyres .Itisestimated that only 800000tonnes isrecycled orotherwise
recovered ;20to50%ofthe510000tonnes recycled isused forprivate
cars and 30to35% forutility vehicles while 290 000 tonnes per year is
used inpublic works and heat generation .
2.Inquantitative terms old tyres represent only asmall part ofthetotal
Community flow ofsolid wastes ;nevertheless /they entail substantia I-and
increasing -social costs (theestimated growth rate inarisings ofold
tyres is10% ayear ).Various research programmes have been carried out
atnational and international level into this form ofwaste (1).
3.Aswith beverage packaging ,the costs are not known exactly .They are
primarily ofthree kinds :
-Disposal costs .Afigure of100million EUA canbeput forward asa
rough guide .Oldtyres are difficult todispose of.They often constitute
litters .Intips they increase fire hazards andpromote theproliferation
ofrodents anddisease-carrying insects .They have tobefragmented inorder
tobeburnt :this isacostly process ;and when burnt they often damage
theincinerators .They obviously can not becomposted :rubber isavery
stable material ,indeed hardly degradable atall .
-The costs ofpollution caused bvtheproduction oftyres areparticularly
difficult toestimate ,but afigure of170million EUAcan beputforward
for theCommunity asawhole .
-The rawmaterials required forthemanufacture oftyres (natural rubber ,
oil,etc)aremostly imported .
(1)e.g. ,the0ECD study onthemanagement ofwaste tyres (ENV.WMP /77.6 of
25October 1978 ).

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4.These social costs are not reflected inthe price oftyres and aretherefore
not automatically taken into account bymarket mechanisms .
II.OBJECTIVES
1.Aswith beverage containers ,themeasures which are likely toreduce
external costs are essentially :
-the reduction ofthenumber oftyres thrown away and
-exploitation ofwaste .
2.Reduction inthequantities discarded canbeobtained by :
-increasing tyre life (upto160000 km);
-more use ofretreading ,which nowprovides every assurance ofsafety
(a30-40% increase inretreading ).
3.Exploitation ofwaste from tyres can beachieved by :
-reclaiming the rubber )recovery ofrawmaterials for themanufacture
)ofnewtyres ,floor coverings ,insulation panels ,
-producing cramb rubber )and soon
-incineration with heat ) ,
recovery (8200 kcal /kg)
compared to7000 kcal /)energy recovery
kgfor coal and9800 )
kcal /kgforheavy )
fuel-oil )
III .MEASURES
1.Various instruments ofaregulat.ory ,fiscal ,contractual orother nature
are used notably :
-subsidies («.forsystematic collection and storage
(.research anddevelopment
(.forprocessing old tyres
-tyre standardization (toencourage retreading inparticular );
-contracts between manufacturers ,recovery operators andusers (with a
view ,forinstance ,tofitting public authorities vehicle fleets with
retreads );
-atax orcharge onnew products (primarily toencourage the use of
high-mileage tyres ,retreads ,etc);
-research anddevelopment projects onretreading ,size reduction ,rubber
reclamation ,andpyrolisis (proposal for amultiannual R§0programme
inthe field ofrecycling oforban and industrial waste (C0M(78)407 )).
2.The Council could discuss thecomparative merits ofthese measures .