EU Commission proposing €0.80/kg tax on production of all non-recycled plastics

LONDON (ICIS)–The European Commission has proposed a tax covering every tonne of non-recycled plastic produced in the EU, Daniel Calleja Crespo, its director general for environment, said on Thursday.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the IdentiPlast conference in London, Calleja Crespo said the proposed tax would be levied at country level rather than on an industry basis.

The proposal is for a cost of €0.80/kg of non-recycled plastic produced.

No time frame was given for when the tax would take effect.

The measure has not yet been agreed by the EU member states and remains under negotiation.

He went on to talk about how citizen prioritisation of environmental issues is encouraging further EU action.

“The citizens are asking us to do more. 95% of EU citizens say the environment is their top priority. Two-thirds say the EU should be doing more.”

Calleja Crespo also highlighted the recent EU and China memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the circular economy, hoping that it would ultimately lead to co-operation to help establish global standards for the treatment and use of waste materials

Under the MoU, there is an agreement to establish a high priority dialogue on the circular economy, to be led by high level officials.

The MoU also states that the meetings should be held yearly, with the venue alternating between the EU and China.

The intention is to co-operate on information exchange and research, capacity building, training programmes, workshops and personal exchange activities.

The MoU may be modified by either side.

Picture source: REX/Shutterstock 

Click here to see regulatory targets and a list of chemical and mechanical recyclers on the ICIS Circular Economy topic page