Cross-border shipments of waste: new intra-UE rules

Cross-border shipments of waste: new intra-UE rules

par | 28 Fév, 2024 | Paradigmes Actualités

The result of the periodic review of the rules on cross-border shipments of waste (Article 60 of Regulation 1013/2006), the regulation adopted today by the European Parliament makes few changes to the procedures applicable to cross-border shipments within the EU, since most of the changes concern exports outside the EU.

 

Four new provisions for shipments of waste within the EU are nevertheless important:

 

 

  • Electronic Annex VII

 

The accompanying document for shipments subject to the information procedure, known as « Annex VII », is to be dematerialised.

 

Data relating to shipments subject to the information procedure will now have to be filled in using an electronic tool developed by the EU (currently in the test phase). The tool, which will be accessible to the parties involved in the shipment as well as to the competent authorities (environmental and customs authorities), will enable more dynamic monitoring of shipments.

 

Data relating to the operation will have to be filled into the tool by the person organising the shipment no later than two days before the start of the shipment, except for data relating to the actual quantity of waste loaded, the name of the carrier and the container number (if applicable), which can be filled in when the shipment leaves (see articles 18 and 27 of the regulation).

 

Data relating to the receipt of waste must be entered into the tool by the waste recovery facility, no later than two days after receipt. Data relating to the recovery of the waste received must be entered into the tool no later than 30 days after completion of the operation (the operation must be completed no later than one year after receipt of the waste).

 

Data relating to shipments, entered into the tool, will subsequently be published in part on a dedicated Commission website (article 21 of the regulation).

 

 

  • Waste recovery contract

 

The contract for the recovery of waste, required for the purposes of carrying out shipments subject to the information procedure, will no longer be bipartite, as previously, but tripartite, and will now have to be signed by the « person organising the shipment », by the « consignee » and by the  » recovery facility » if it is different from the « consignee » (the « consignee » may, in fact, be a purchasing centre or a waste dealer) (Article 18(10) of the Regulation).

 

 

  • Harmonisation of waste classification rules

 

The Commission has been empowered to establish rules for classifying certain waste under the Basel codes (setting contamination thresholds, etc.).

 

 

  • Greater quantities of waste that can be tested for recovery without recourse to the notification procedure

 

To date, shipments subject to the notification procedure had to go through this procedure even when they took place for the purposes of carrying out a laboratory test or a recovery trial, as long as the quantity of waste concerned exceeded 25 kg (article 3(4) of regulation 1013/2006).

 

The new regulation raises this threshold from 25 kg to 250 kg and allows it to be increased further by special authorisation, issued on a case-by-case basis by the authorities of the countries of departure and arrival.

 

The threshold for waste destined for shipment outside the EU is still set at 25 kg, despite significant work by ICC to increase it, to which the firm contributed.

 

 

  • Inspections

 

For the first time, the Commission is empowered to carry out its own inspections of cross-border shipments and, to this end, is given powers of inspection equivalent to those of the national authorities, including the possibility of inspecting sites and interviewing persons (Articles 67 to 70 of the Regulation). Following the inspections, the Commission will draw up recommendations on any legal action that may be taken by the Member States concerned.

 

 

The changes affecting shipments of waste outside the EU are covered under this link.

Transferts transfrontaliers de déchets: nouvelles règles intra UE

Transferts transfrontaliers de déchets: nouvelles règles intra UE

par | 28 Fév, 2024 | Paradigmes Actualités

Résultat de la procédure de réexamen périodique de la réglementation relative au transferts transfrontaliers de déchets (article 60 du règlement 1013/2006), le règlement adopté ce jour par le Parlement européen ne modifie que peu les procédures applicables aux échanges transfrontaliers à l’intérieur de l’UE, l’essentiel des changements apportés visant les exports en dehors de l’UE.

 

Pour ce qui concerne les transferts de déchets à l’intérieur de l’UE, quatre nouveautés ci-après sont néanmoins à retenir :

 

 

  • Annexe VII électronique

 

Le document d’accompagnement des transferts soumis à la procédure d’information, dit « Annexe VII », est dématérialisé.

 

Les données relatives aux transferts soumis à la procédure d’information devront désormais être renseignées dans un outil électronique élaboré par l’UE (actuellement en phase de test). Accessible aux parties impliquées dans le transfert ainsi qu’aux autorités compétentes (autorités environnementales et douanières), l’outil permettra un suivi plus dynamique des transferts.

 

Les données relatives à l’opération seront à renseigner dans l’outil par la personne qui organise le transfert au plus tard deux jours avant le début du transfert, sauf pour les données relatives à la quantité effective de déchets chargés, le nom du transporteur et le numéro du conteneur (si applicable), qui pourront être renseignées au moment du départ du chargement (voir les articles 18 et 27 du règlement).

 

Les données relatives à la réception des déchets seront à renseigner dans l’outil par l’installation de réception de déchets, au plus tard deux jours après leur réception. Les données relatives à la valorisation des déchets réceptionnés seront à renseigner dans l’outil au plus tard dans les 30 jours suivant l’achèvement de l’opération (celle-ci devant intervenir au plus tard un an après la réception des déchets).

 

Les données relatives aux transferts, saisies dans l’outil, seront par la suite en partie publiées sur un site dédié de la Commission (article 21 du règlement).

 

 

  • Contrat de valorisation

 

Le contrat de valorisation de déchets, requis pour les besoins de réalisation des transferts soumis à la procédure d’information, ne sera plus bipartite, comme précédemment, mais tripartite, et devra désormais être signé par la « personne qui organise le transfert », par le « destinataire » et par « l’installation de traitement » si elle est différente du « destinataire » (le « destinataire » peut, en effet, être une centrale d’achat ou un négociant de déchets) (article 18(10) du règlement).

 

 

  • Harmonisation des règles de classement de déchets

 

La Commission a reçu l’habilitation pour établir des règles de classement de certains déchets aux codes Bâle (établissement des seuils de contamination, etc.).

 

 

  • Augmentation des quantités de déchets pouvant faire l’objet des essais de valorisation sans recours à la procédure de notification

 

Jusqu’à présent, les transferts soumis à la procédure de notification devaient recourir à cette procédure même lorsqu’ils se faisaient pour les besoins de réalisation d’un test en laboratoire ou d’un essai de valorisation dès lors que la quantité des déchets concernés dépassait 25 kg (article 3(4) du règlement 1013/2006).

 

Le nouveau règlement fait passer ce seuil de 25 kg à 250 kg et permet de l’augmenter sur autorisation spéciale, délivrée au cas par cas par les autorités des pays de départ et d’arrivée.

 

Pour les déchets destinés à être transférés en dehors de l’UE, le seuil reste, à ce jour, fixé à 25 kg, malgré un travail important pour l’augmenter déployé par ICC, auquel le cabinet a contribué.

 

 

  • Contrôles

 

Pour la première fois, la Commission se voit habilitée à mener ses propres contrôles des transferts transfrontaliers et reçoit, à cette fin, des pouvoirs d’inspection équivalents à ceux des autorités nationales, incluant la possibilité d’inspecter les sites et d’auditionner les personnes (articles 67 à 70 du règlement). A l’issue des contrôles, la Commission rédigera des recommandations quant aux poursuites qui pourraient être engagées par les Etats membres concernés.

 

 

Les modifications affectant les transferts de déchets en dehors de l’UE sont traitées sous ce lien.

Cross-border shipments of waste: new export rules

Cross-border shipments of waste: new export rules

par | 28 Fév, 2024 | Paradigmes Actualités

The result of the periodic review of the regulations on cross-border shipments of waste (Article 60 of Regulation 1013/2006), the regulation adopted by the European Parliament on 27 February 2024 substantially modifies the procedures applicable to cross-border shipments. The trend is towards facilitating intra-EU shipments of waste and restricting shipments outside the EU.   There are four main new features for shipments of waste outside the EU:

  • Restrictions on waste exports to non-OECD countries

So far, it has been possible to send non-hazardous waste for recovery to non-OECD countries provided that the procedures under which the latter agreed to receive it (notification, information, special controls, etc.) were respected. These procedures were laid down in regulation 1418/2007. This approach will continue to apply only until March 2027 (20 days and three years after publication of the regulation).   From March 2027, only countries expressly authorised by the EU to receive European non-hazardous waste for recovery will be able to receive it (articles 41 to 43 of the regulation).   To be able to receive European non-hazardous waste for recovery, interested countries will have to submit a specific request to the Commission, justifying:

  • the strategy for managing waste generated within their territory (reasons for the lack of recoverable waste produced internally, strategies for collecting and sorting recoverable waste produced internally, impact of imports on the management of waste produced internally, etc.);
  • the extent to which the waste treatment conditions employed within the country are in line with European standards;
  • the country’s general legal situation and its compliance with the international conventions listed in Annex VIII of the regulation, particularly those prohibiting child labour, etc.

Applications for authorisation to receive European non-hazardous waste for recovery may be submitted from March 2024 (Article 86(3)(b) of the Regulation).   Authorisations issued by the EU will materialise through the inclusion of the country in question in the list of countries benefiting from authorisation to receive European non-hazardous waste, which will be set out by the Commission in a dedicated regulation. This regulation will be regularly updated to take account of new authorisations issued or authorisations withdrawn.   Authorisation applications will have to be renewed by the countries every five years (see article 42(5) of the regulation).

  • Restriction of trade in SRF

Solid recovered fuels (SRF), which until now have travelled outside the EU under the notification procedure, will no longer be able to be exported outside the EU, including to OECD countries (see Article 44(2)(f) of the Regulation), from March 2025 (20 days and one year after publication of the Regulation; see Article 86(1) of the Regulation).

  • Restriction of trade in plastic waste

Single-material plastic waste with no more than 2% impurities, classified under code B3011, will no longer be able to travel outside the EU other than under the notification procedure, from March 2025 (20 days and one year after publication of the Regulation; see Articles 86(1) and 86(3)(d) of the Regulation).   Exports of such waste for recovery in non-OECD countries will be strictly prohibited from September 2026 (20 days and 30 months after publication of the Regulation; see Articles 39 and 86(3)(c) of the Regulation). However, this ban may be lifted for a certain number of non-OECD countries from March 2029, provided that countries wishing to receive this waste for recovery notify the Commission and justify that they have the capacity to treat it without danger to the environment (see Articles 40(3)(b) and 42(4) of the Regulation).   Plastic waste classified under code Y48 may only travel to OECD countries, subject to notification procedure (see Articles 4(2) and 41 of the Regulation).

  • Prior audit requirement for recovery facilities outside the EU

From March 2027, all waste recovery facilities located outside the EU (including in OECD and EFTA countries) will have to be audited to demonstrate that they are managed in conditions close to the Best Available Techniques (BREF) adopted by the EU in application of Directive 2010/75 on polluting emissions (see Article 46 of the Regulation and Annex X thereto).   The audit obligation will apply to facilities receiving both « green list » and « amber list » waste (including for a simple treatment test) (see article 46(3) of the regulation and its annex X).   The audit must be carried out by an accredited organisation (accreditation in accordance with EU standards or international standards such as ISO 19011:2018 or ISO/IEC 17020:2012) and will consist of a physical and documentary check of the conditions under which the facilities are operated (technologies used, infrastructure used, robustness of the processing chain, documentary traceability, etc.; see Annex X, Part B of the Regulation).   The facilities concerned will only be able to receive waste once they have received the results of such an audit.   The cost of the audit may be shared between several exporters (see Article 46(5) of the Regulation, requiring exporters to share the audits carried out subject to appropriate remuneration, with the Commission keeping a public register of the audits carried out) or it may be borne by the receiving facility. The audit will have to be repeated every two years.   The EU will also be able to conclude bilateral agreements with countries that guarantee a high level of health and environmental protection, exempting their facilities from the prior audit requirement.   In any case, shipments will have to be stopped if the exporter receives reliable information indicating that a facility at destination, whether or not subject to a pre-export audit requirement, no longer meets the criteria defined in part B of Annex X of the Regulation. Shipments may only be resumed once an audit has been carried out to demonstrate that the facility is once again in compliance with the Regulation.   Finally, the exporter will have to make available to the public, by electronic means, information on how it complies with its obligation to pre-audit the foreign facilities to which it ships waste.

Changes affecting shipments of waste within the EU are covered under this link.