On Thursday Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court stopped the controversial project to build a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) waste incinerator in the centre of Sofia, which would have used EU funding to turn the capital's waste into heat and electricity.
The European Parliament has adopted by a large majority a new directive on packaging and packaging waste. The text includes measures to prevent the production of waste, but also to promote the reuse and recycling of certain types of packaging.
Portuguese eucalyptus forests are helping to replace plastics, but as the country's climate warms up, this highly flammable tree is a growing threat to people and biodiversity.
EU national governments agreed on Friday (15 March) to a new regime of packaging waste rules, following a dramatic few weeks during which the European Commission threatened to veto an agreement reached between governments and the European Parliament.
The European Parliament on Wednesday (13 March) backed targets for the prevention and reduction of food and textile waste across the bloc. However, environmental NGOs have criticised the proposal's lack of ambition.
The European Parliament's environment committee voted on Wednesday (14 February) in favour of EU targets to reduce food waste as well as an obligation on the textile industry to pay for the trash it generates.
The European Commission launched a consultation on a draft proposal to phase out the use of the controversial chemical bisphenol A in food contact materials, including plastic boxes, protective coatings for cans, and food processing equipment.
Wine and spirits should be exempt from future EU repackaging rules, EU environment ministers decided on Monday (18 December), angering beer producers who will have to comply with the new rules which include a new deposit system.
In the run-up to this week's vote in the European Parliament on the draft packaging waste regulation, a Euractiv event looked at the impact of packaging on Europe's forests. Here are the key points.
The European Parliament adopted its position Wednesday (22 November) on legislation to reduce packaging waste, after a tense debate on the role of reuse, recycling and bans.
Lawmakers in the European Parliament’s environment committee will vote on their approach to new rules tackling packaging waste on Tuesday (24 October) amid warnings from environmental groups that the law risks being watered down due to a concerted pushback from Italian MEPs.
Reusable packaging options could produce less emissions than single-use for some types of takeaway packaging, as long as collection, return and washing systems are efficient, according to a study published on Tuesday (5 September).
The EU's proposed packaging waste regulation can be fine-tuned to suit business needs but should not allow for too many exemptions, a senior EU official has said.
France will see the comeback of the glass bottle return scheme by 2025, according to a recent government announcement, which has already been welcomed by NGOs who now expect new initiatives to meet EU plastic waste reduction targets.
Large household appliances will have to be transported almost entirely using reuseable packaging by 2030, according to the European Commission’s proposed packaging waste law, a move widely questioned by players in the supply chain.
Lawmakers in the European Parliament are split over the best way to tackle Europe’s growing packaging waste problem, with reuse versus recycling at the heart of the debate.
Targets to boost the reuse of packaging in the restaurant sector have been deleted by the European Parliament lawmaker in charge of negotiating a new law on packaging waste, according to a set of amendments seen by EURACTIV.
Makers of cardboard-based packaging say the entire retail sector will have to switch to plastic crates and boxes because of the EU’s planned crackdown on packaging waste, which imposes reuse targets for packaging in transport and logistics.
A shift from single-use recyclable packaging to reusables in the informal eating-out sector could have detrimental effects on the environment, the economy and food safety, according to a new study commissioned by McDonald’s.
The European Commission's new packaging law has drawn criticism from manufacturers, who warn against a shift of focus from recycling to reusing materials. While the new proposal is watered down, concerns remain.
A new EU packaging law proposal has sparked major concerns among the EU food industry, who warn it is unworkable for food business operators - but NGOs slammed heavy industry lobbying for watering down the proposal.
The European Commission is due to propose a new law to tackle packaging waste on Wednesday (30 November) with watered down reuse targets after an outcry from industry, according to a leaked draft of the new regulation, seen by EURACTIV.
A leaked draft of the EU’s new packaging law, seen by EURACTIV, has caused uproar among the industry, which says it risks undermining years of efforts and billions of euros worth of investments into recycling.
The European Commission is preparing to unveil new legislation which for the first time envisages measures to limit packaging size as well as the amount of “empty space” in boxes shipped around Europe by online retailers.
