New tax on plastic packaging from 1 January 2021
The European Council has announced a tax of 0.8 euro / kg for non-recycled plastic packaging waste starting in 2021, as part of the post-Covid-19 economic recovery package, estimated at 750 billion euros for the period 2021-2027*.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7: Plastics Recycling By the Numbers
A product made of plastic is often stamped with a resin code, which is a number between one and seven inside a small triangle made of arrows. The presence of a resin code doesn’t necessarily mean that the product can be recycled. It’s the number inside the triangle that counts, because each number corresponds to a different type of plastic.
Romania’s Waste Problem: Why are we importing trash from abroad?
“Romania is drowning in waste and most of the landfills are overflowing.”
–BBC Correspondent Nick Thorpe
Last October, a BBC documentary revealed that Romania is importing large amounts of trash from abroad, despite reports that only 5% of the country’s waste is being recycled. In fact, Eurostat states that 80% of all garbage is being dumped into landfills–68 of which are illegal.
In 2017, legislation was introduced to encourage recycling to meet EU standards. Instead, it’s made things worse. Before, the private firms responsible for collecting and sorting waste would later sell it to recyclers. However, this job has been left to council teams who lack the resources needed for the job. Municipal waste sent to landfill has since risen to 90% and is estimated to be climbing.