Packaging and Packaging Waste

Legislation

Summary of EU Waste Legislation on Packaging and Packaging Waste

General legislation:

• Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste, as amended by Directive 2004/12/EC

• Longer deadlines for new Member States:

  • Directive 2005/20/EC of 9 March 2005 amending Directive 94/62/EC

Secondary packaging legislation:

• Marking and identification

• Decision 97/129/EC on the identification system for packaging materials

• Data and reporting

• Directive 91/692/EEC standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment

• Commission Decision 97/622/EC on decisions relation to Directive 91/692/EEC

• Decision 2005/270/EC establishing the formats relating to the database system

• Derogation for plastic crates and pallets from the heavy metal concentration limits

• Commission Decision 1999/177/EC establishing the conditions for a derogation for plastic crates and plastic pallets in relation to the heavy metal concentration levels

• Commission Decision 2009/292/EC establishing the conditions for a derogation for plastic crates and plastic pallets in relation to the heavy metal concentration levels

• Derogation for glass packaging from the heavy metal concentration limits

• Commission Decision 2001/171/EC establishing the conditions for a derogation for glass packaging in relation to the heavy metal concentration levels (& corrections)

• Derogation for glass packaging from the heavy metal concentration limits - revision of deadline

• Commission Decision 2006/340/EC amending Decision 2001/171/EC for the purpose of prolonging the validity of the conditions for a derogation for glass packaging in relation to the heavy metal concentration levels established in Directive 94/62/EC

Ancillary EU legislation on packaging and packaging waste

• Austria

  • Commission Decision 1999/42/EC confirming the measures notified by Austria pursuant to Article 6(6) of Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste (notified under document number C(1998) 3940)

• Belgium (1st decision)

  • Commission Decision 1999/652/EC of 15 September 1999 confirming the measures notified by Belgium pursuant to Article 6(6) of Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and the Council on packaging and packaging waste (notified under document number C(1999) 2919) (Text with EEA relevance)

• The Netherlands

  • Commission Decision 1999/823/EC confirming the measures notified by the Netherlands pursuant to Article 6(6) of Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste (notified under document number C(1999) 3818)

• Belgium (2nd decision)

  • Commission Decision 2003/82/EC of 29 January 2003 confirming measures notified by Belgium pursuant to Article 6(6) of Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and the Council on packaging and packaging waste (Text with EEA relevance) (notified under document number C(2003) 361)

Harmonised standards for packaging

• Commission communication 2005/C 44/13 in the framework of the implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive

Packaging in contact with food

• Website of DG Health and Consumer Protection

National implementing measures - TRIS database

Member States shall notify the drafts of measures which they intend to adopt within the framework of Directive 94/62/EC (Packaging Directive) to the Commission, excluding measures of a fiscal nature, but including technical specifications linked to fiscal measures which encourage compliance with such technical specifications (Article 16 of the Packaging Directive). These notifications are made following the procedure explained in Directive 98/34/EC.

Notified measures can be consulted in the TRIS database.

Beverage packaging, deposit systems and free movement of goods

• 2009 Commission Communication on beverage packaging, deposit systems and free movement of goods