EuRIC urges extension of EU WSR deadlines

EuRIC, or the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation, is calling for an immediate extension of the EU Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) 1157/2024 deadlines, saying the regulation threatens to disrupt global recycling markets and put Europe’s recycling industry at a severe competitive disadvantage. 

The extension would provide countries that are not a part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, with adequate time to comply with the WSR, which requires non-OECD countries to submit a request by Feb. 21 to be able to continue importing recycled materials that are classified as waste from the EU under Annex VIII of the WSR), according to Brussels-based EuRIC. If no request is submitted by that deadline, a blanket ban on EU exports of recycled materials to those nearly 150 countries will take effect by May 21.

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Extending the deadline for non-OECD countries to submit requests would “prevent a catastrophic impact on international trade in recycled materials and the competitiveness of the EU recycling industry,” EuRIC says.

The association says based on its experience, most non-OECD countries are simply not ready to meet the EU’s new, complex procedures that involve huge data sets and numerous questions, creating an overwhelming burden on non-OECD countries’ administrations.

“Furthermore, outreach from European authorities to non-OECD countries seems to have been largely insufficient, leaving these countries uninformed on the new WSR rules’ economic impact on global trade and the supply of recycled materials,” EuRIC adds. “This lack of clarity and preparedness threatens to disrupt existing business relationships and damage the functioning of recycling markets. A collapse of outlet markets would also artificially shrink the EU recycling industry, result in the landfilling of recyclable waste and lead to the loss of trust in waste sorting among EU citizens.”

EuRIC also is calling on the European Commission to implement what it says are five critical measures to facilitate a “realistic, workable and business-friendly transition” to the new rules:

1. Implement the Feb. 21 deadline in a flexible manner or extend it by at least 6 months.
2. Postpone the application of the 2027 export rules to allow businesses enough time to adapt without crippling supply chains.
3. Actively engage with third countries to secure outlet markets and the competitiveness of the European recycling industry.
4. Ensure transparency on the status of feedback from non-OECD countries, including creating, publishing and keeping up to date a list of those countries that submitted a request according to Annex VIII of the WSR.
5. Promote a continuous dialogue with third countries to early identify and address potential trade barriers.

“Time is of the essence to avoid the collapse of international trade in recycled materials and ensure that European recycling companies have stable market outlets,” EuRIC says, and therefore urges the European Commission and the EU legislature to take immediate action to extend the WSR deadlines and allow EU recyclers and their global customers sufficient time to adjust to the new rules.

“A flexible and smooth transition is urgently needed to ensure international trade in recycled materials and to protect the competitiveness of the European recycling industry,” EuRIC says.