15 April 2020
Municipal Waste Europe and ‘Close the Glass Loop’ team up to achieve 90% glass packaging collection target by 2030
Municipal Waste Europe (MWE) – the European umbrella association representing public responsibility for waste – agreed to partner with 'Close the Glass Loop' – the major industry stewardship programme for glass packaging initiated by FEVE.
Brussels, 15 April 2020 –
Municipal Waste Europe (MWE) – the European umbrella association representing public responsibility for waste – agreed to partner with ‘Close the Glass Loop’ – the major industry stewardship programme for glass packaging initiated by FEVE – the EU Federation of container glass. The platform has the objective to achieve a post-consumer glass container collection target of 90%, and to ensure that this is recycled into the container glass production loop to come back as a new packaging.
“In these difficult times where the solidity of our economic and social model is under pressure, Municipalities need to continue to invest in the health and wellbeing of citizens. This involves also guaranteeing a resource-efficient management of post-consumer waste,” states Vanya Veras, MWE Secretary General. “We are delighted to join Close the Glass Loop as we share this common goal. Managing waste streams, minimizing their impacts on the environment and our citiesis our job. By helping the glass packaging industry to bring glass containers back into the production loop, we reduce waste and keep local resources productive in our economy.”
‘Close the Glass Loop’ is a multi-stakeholder platform in which national and local authorities will play a fundamental role in establishing an appropriate and sufficient separate collection network coupled with communication tools to engage citizens to separate and sort their glass waste for recycling. Municipal Waste Europe’s members will share their experience in this platform on how best to empower citizens to separate and sort their glass packaging in accordance with the most adapted local collection system, with a view to increasing recycled content in the new product cycle. Prevention and reuse are high on MWE’s priorities and will play a key role in these discussions as well.
“Municipalities are key decision makers when it comes to waste collection. We are very happy to have the opportunity to work directly with Municipal Waste Europe on the best way to collect more glass and solve our common challenges together,” comments Adeline Farrelly, FEVE Secretary General.
All consumer goods industries are being called upon by the European Commission to collect, recycle and reuse packaging. The new targets are much more ambitious than before because they will move from collection for recycling targets to targets on what is actually recycled. Each country will need to achieve the new 2030 recycling targets fixed by the recently reviewed Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. For glass, it is 75% by 2030.
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About Municipal Waste Europe
Municipal Waste Europe is the European umbrella association representing public responsibility for waste. Its members are national public waste associations and similar national or regional associations from 15 Member States. They are committed to sustainable waste management that minimises the impact of waste on the environment and promotes resource efficiency, taking into account local conditions. The association encourages the sharing of information among its members, including the exchange of good practice in the local management of waste.
About FEVE
FEVE is the Federation of European manufacturers of glass containers for food and beverage and flacons for perfumery, cosmetics and pharmacy markets. Its members produce over 80 billion glass containers per year. The association has some 60 corporate members belonging to approximately 20 independent corporate groups. Their 150 manufacturing plants are located across 23 European States and maintain 125.000 direct and indirect jobs along the total supply chain. See more at www.feve.org.