Recycling or reusing glass, the European Commission presents a set of measures to reduce, stop, recycle or reuse packaging waste.

Valéry Mainjot
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August 28, 2024

Faced with another inflation, that of packaging, the European Commission presents a set of measures to limit the production of packaging waste. Today, only 65% of it is recycled. The Commission wants a 5% reduction in packaging waste from 2018 levels by 2030, and 15% by 2040. This has an impact on soil and water pollution, but also for the climate with the reduction of greenhouse gases.

The draft regulation is part of a broader set of proposals to foster the circular economy. "We promised that by 2030, Europe would have reusable and recyclable packaging only, and today we are making progress on that promise," said EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius.

If glass packaging can be reused in addition to being recycled, it may be better for the environment to reuse it than to recycle it. This is because reuse involves less processing and therefore less energy consumption than recycling. During the recycling process, a material is usually broken down into something that can be reformed, made almost from scratch. The manufacturing process consumes more energy and emits more carbon than reprocessing returnable glass.

For the European Packaging and Environment Organization (Europen), "Recyclability or reuse of packaging alone will not be enough unless it is supported by a system capable of triggering disinvestment in recycling and reuse infrastructure across Europe.

Recycling or reuse, increased investment is required to put in place more efficient collection and treatment systems quickly.  

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