As part of the European Green Deal legislative train and the Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Commission proposes a revised Waste Shipment Regulation to boost the circular economy and ensure EU waste exports do not harm the environment or human health.

Under the proposed revised Regulation on waste shipments, the Commission delivers on circular economy and zero pollution ambitions by proposing stronger rules on waste exports, a more efficient system for the circulation of waste as a resource and determined action against waste trafficking. Waste exports to non-OECD countries will be restricted and only allowed if third countries are willing to receive certain wastes and are able to manage them sustainably. Waste shipments to OECD countries will be monitored and can be suspended if they generate serious environmental problems in the country of destination. Under the proposal, all EU companies that export waste outside the EU should ensure that the facilities receiving their waste are subject to an independent audit showing that they manage this waste in an environmentally sound manner.

Within the EU, the Commission is proposing to simplify the established procedures considerably, facilitating waste to re-enter the circular economy, without lowering the necessary level of control. This helps to reduce the EU's dependence on primary raw materials and supports innovation and the decarbonisation of EU industry to meet the EU's climate objectives. The new rules are also bringing waste shipments to the digital era by introducing electronic exchange of documentation.

The Regulation on waste shipments further strengthens action against waste trafficking, one of the most serious forms of environmental crime as illegal shipments potentially comprise up to 30% of waste shipments, worth €9.5 billion annually. Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the enforcement regime includes setting up an EU Waste Shipment Enforcement Group, empowering the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF to support transnational investigations by EU Member States on waste trafficking, and providing stronger rules on administrative penalties.

‘Our waste is our responsibility. Letting waste pollute the environment, end up in illegal dumpsites or in our oceans is a real loss of resources, which are precious for the EU’s transition to a circular economy. This proposal is a decisive move to create the most advanced waste shipment system in the world, and bring this system to the digital era too. Our goal is to make sure that waste generated in the EU is managed in a sustainable way so that it does not harm nature and health but opens up new opportunities for green growth and innovation,’ said Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries

Read more:

• Proposal for a revised Regulation on waste shipments
• Question and Answers on Revised waste shipment rules
• Factsheet on Revised waste shipment rules