The European Union packaging directive

In July 1992, the European Commission introduced a proposal for a directive on the management of waste packaging. The proposal included five-year targets for recovery and recycling rates of 6 percent and 40 percent, respectively, for each packaging material, and corresponding ten-year targets of 90 percent and 60 percent, respectively. In March 1994, the Council of Ministers formally adopted a substantially altered proposal in which the ten-year targets were removed and the five-year targets revised to 50 to 65 percent recovery and 25 to 45 percent recycling for all packaging materials in their totality, with at least 15 percent of each material being recycled. Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, all with more stringent recycling and recovery targets, voted against the amendments. Ireland, Greece and Portugal were allowed an extended period to reach the targets.

In April 1994, the European Parliament's Environment Committee proposed a number of amendments to the Council's common position, ranging from changes to the definitions of packaging, reuse, recovery; the inclusion of a hierarchy of waste treatment options; and a requirement to stipulate minimum levels of recycled materials in new packaging. The vote left the text largely unchanged except that the scope has been extended to include "all throw-away items used for the same ends [as packaging]" and economic instruments can now be adopted at European Community level.