WRITTEN QUESTION E-1161/98

by Roberta Angelilli (NI) to the Commission

(29 April 1998)

Subject: Waste disposal crisis in Rome and relevant Italian legislation

In view of the fact that the Malagrotta waste tip, which takes refuse from the whole Commune of Rome, will shortly be full up, Mr Hermanin, the member of the regional council responsible, has stated that a large proportion of the waste will soon be directed to new incineration facilities. Many experts in the field consider that only a small proportion of the waste could be incinerated in this way, and even then there would be a high risk of pollution, as the material would not be sorted adequately.

In view of the foregoing, would the Commission:

1. state whether the Italian legislation transposing the relevant European directives, particularly Directive 91/156/EEC(1), 91/689/EEC(2) and 94/62/EC(3), does not place excessive emphasis on the incineration of waste instead of the priorities that would seem to emerge from the directives in question, namely reducing waste output, recycling for compost and the disposal of waste in tips;

2. state whether the full-scale waste emergency declared by the Minister of the Environment of the Italian government in the Commune of Rome seriously jeopardizes citizens' right to health and to environmental protection;

3. state whether a policy of waste incineration, without accompanying measures to reduce and recycle waste, conflicts with the guidelines set out by the European Union;

4. state its general views on this question.

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(16 June 1998)

The primary objective of Council Directives 75/442/EEC(4), 91/689/EEC and 94/62/EC is the reduction of the generation of waste, in particular through the development of clean technologies and the production of goods which generate less wastes and less hazardous wastes. In addition, Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste requires Member States to achieve, by 30 June 2001, specific overall recovery targets (between 50 and 65 % by weight, recovery includes both material recycling and energy recovery) as well as specific targets for material recycling (between 25 and 45 % with a minimum of 15 % for each material). No specific targets for energy recovery have been set. If Member States want to go beyond those targets and for instance achieve the recovery target by recycling materials solely, the procedure under Article 6(6) of the Directive applies.

The above-mentioned directives all require, in order to achieve their objectives, that waste management plans are drawn up, containing types, quantities and origin of waste to recover or dispose of, the general technical requirements, specific provisions for particular types of waste and the appropriate sites and plants for waste disposal.

Italian legislation transposing the above mentioned directives (Decree 22/1997) foresees the achievement of the recovery and recycling targets set out by Directive 94/62/EC (Article 37(1) and Annex E). However, the practical achievement of these targets depends greatly upon the activity of the national consortium on packaging (CONAI). The Commission does not yet have any information about the activities carried out by CONAI in order to achieve the objectives of the Directive.

The Commission considers that the waste situation in Italy should be dealt with by means of structural interventions. In this context, the Commission underlines that Italy has not fully complied with Community provisions on waste management plans and that infringement proceedings have thus been opened. The Commission considers that the absence of adequate waste management plans could, in certain circumstances, generate serious risks for human health and the environment.

The Commission, in its communication on the review of the waste management strategy(5), has underlined the reasons for which, in general, priority should be given to material recycling (including composting) over waste incineration. This approach was also backed by the Parliament in its Resolution of 14 November 1996(6) on the review of the waste management strategy. The Commission is not opposed to waste incineration, but recognizes that this practice should be part of comprehensive waste management plans which guarantee at the same time the reduction of waste generation and in environmentally acceptable forms, including recycling of materials and composting.

The Commission is not able to make a general assessment of the matter to which the Honourable Member refers, since it is not aware of specific elements characterising waste management in the municipality of Rome, nor of a corresponding waste management plan drafted in conformity with Community waste legislation.

(1) OJ L 78, 26.3.1991, p. 32.

(2) OJ L 377, 31.12.1991, p. 20.

(3) OJ L 365, 31.12.1994, p. 10.

(4) OJ L 194, 25.7.1975.

(5) COM(96) 399 final.

(6) OJ C 362, 12.12.1996.