Project Description
As part of the broader European Green Deal strategy, the project aims to support the transition toward a more resource-efficient, circular economy through the development and implementation of practical guidance, enhanced regulatory cooperation, and the application of innovative technologies.
The project moves through the waste hierarchy steps, in order to achieve a common understanding of the key points of the Waste Framework Directive and homogenize behaviours across Member States.
The work plans address the actions of the EU environmental policy, as mainly outlined in the New Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), in the programme of the Environmental Compliance and Governance Forum as well as in the Waste Framework Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/851). The adoption of guidance documents for the ad hoc application of the harmonised conditions established at Union level for waste management is needed as well as initiatives to improve cooperation with Member States for better implementation of EU waste legislation.
Project History
The project brought together inspectors and permit writers to share knowledge, identify good practices, and create useful tools and guidance.
The recast of the WFD clarified rules on by-products and those to enable recycled materials to be reclassified as non-waste whenever they meet a set of general conditions (end of waste).
One key point of the project has focussed on monitoring of Member States’ application of the revised rules on end-of-waste status and by-products, supporting cross-border initiatives for cooperation to harmonise national end-of-waste and by-product criteria.
Furthermore, an End-of waste database has been created, to help permit writers, inspectors and operators to find information on end-of waste case-by-case decisions or resulting from self-assessment verification.
The database is one of the possible tools to answer to the following indications of the WFD 2018 Article 6: “Member States may make information about case-by-case decisions and about the results of verification by competent authorities publicly available by electronic means”.
September 2018 on implementation of the circular economy package” addresses the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation. One of the goal of the project has been to better understand the interface between waste and product legislation and giving practical guidance on how to apply REACH regulation to secondary raw material.
Another key point tackled is the integration of circular economy practices in the Review of the IED Directive in upcoming BREFs, which EU Member States have to reflect when issuing permits for industrial installations, thus promoting innovation in industrial processes and helping to reduce waste generation, boost recycling and reduce resource use. This project has looked at how to achieve circular economy in IED Installations, introducing concepts of a Circularity Index and a Circular Plan to monitor and improve the circular performance of IED installations under the principles of a circular economy.
Following the principles established in art. 34 of the Directive 2008/98/EC, “Establishments or undertakings which carry out waste treatment operations […] shall be subject to appropriate periodic inspections by the competent authorities”.and of the Recommendation 331/2001/EC (indicating that Member States must ensure the planning of environmental inspection activities) a Plan for inspection at waste installations based on risk assessment has been focussed.
Waste Incineration, as one of the step of the waste hierarchy, has also been considered. BAT Conclusions on waste incineration have been recently implemented and their relevant application in IED permits is a challenge for regulators. The need for practical guidance for regulators, permit writers and inspectors was widely felt.
Training session have been delivered on waste management topics according to the training needs indicated by the hosting organizations.
All project outputs are available under Project Outputs menu on the right side of the page.
You can find a quick overview of the reports&guidance under Briefing Project Outputs title below.
Next Cycle(2025-2027)
Stemming from the New circular economy action plan (CEAP) as one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, the project keeps on following some of the main aims of the measures introduced under the new action plan, focussing on the sectors where the potential for circularity is higher and the needs of practitioners more felt.
Please visit the the following webpages of the sub-project pages under the WMCE umbrella project:
- Artificial intelligence & waste management: exploring new developments and possibilities
- Organic waste recycling
- Textile and strategic End of waste fluxes
- Knowledge Exchange Programme & Waste Management and Circular Economy: Performing joint inspections and learning from the ground
- Plastic End of Waste: Creating a level playing field
- Waste recycling Risk Based Inspection Plan Phase II: Training authorities to design effective, data-driven inspection plans for waste facilities.
- Applying EU waste legislation to circular business models: Supporting regulators in overseeing eco-innovative business practices that reduce waste and extend product life.
Briefing Project Outputs
Briefing documents provides a summary and analysis of the key themes, ideas, and facts presented in the project outputs as guidances and reports. You can read online by clicking on the name of the report and download as pdf document as well.
📑Briefing WCME Waste Incineration - Survey Report/ 2024:
👓Read online ⬇️Download as pdf 🔊Listen Audio Overview
📑Briefing Risk based Waste Inspection Plan /2024:
👓Read online ⬇️Download as pdf
📑Briefing By-product Report/ 2024
👓Read online ⬇️Download as pdf
📑Briefing for Waste Incineration Practical Tool/ 2024
👓Read online ⬇️Download as pdf
📑Briefing IED&CE Guidence/ 2024
👓Read online ⬇️Download as pdf
📑Briefing REACH &CE Guidence/ 2023
👓Read online ⬇️Download as pdf
📑Briefing Guidance Making the Circular Economy Work/ 2018
👓Read online ⬇️Download as pdf