Report cautions current regulatory approaches focused on plastics, instead encourages improving careful management of all materials; calls for urgent review of food contact materials, implementation of fiscal measures to reduce use across material types
March 9, 2020
Recycling association circular economy paper
European recycling association EuRIC AISBL shows concern for lack of interface between EU chemicals, product, and waste legislation; provides recommendations to support circular economy including harmonizing EU waste legislation, derogations for legacy substances
March 2, 2020
EFSA working group updates in January and February 2020
Minutes from recent meetings of the EFSA CEP panel and working groups on BPA, FCMs, and recycling plastics published
February 27, 2020
EC meeting discusses future FCM regulation
European Commission (EC) holds meeting reviewing draft regulatory texts for 15th and 16th amendment of plastics regulation 10/2011 and for plastic food contact materials (FCMs) recycling regulation; contemplates regulatory options for novel FCMs including plastics with bamboo fibers; presents specific updates and timelines for future work
February 27, 2020
Concerns over recycled ocean-bound plastic packaging
UK branch of supermarket chain Lidl announces new packaging for fish made from at least 30% recycled ocean-bound plastic from March 2020; stakeholders raise concerns over safety of chemicals that could be present
February 19, 2020
Stakeholders criticize labeling, terminology of plastic packaging
Greenpeace report finds only 53% of all US material recovery facilities accept polypropylene products, argues they should therefore not be labeled and marketed to consumers as recyclable; bottled water association advocates against the term ‘single-use,’ concerned it confuses consumers and limits recycling
February 13, 2020
Debut of ‘Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act’ in U.S.
U.S. senators and representatives present wide-ranging bill to address plastic pollution; aims to extend producer responsibility, implement nationwide container refund system, phase out single-use plastic items, increase minimum recycled content
February 6, 2020
New European commissioner targets non-toxic material cycles
European Commissioner for the Internal Market (DG Grow) commits to removing hazardous substances from material cycles in first address to Parliamentary committee on environment; aims to harmonize rules for substances of very high concern (SVHCs), update REACH legislation to manage endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)
January 29, 2020
Improving material sorting through fluorescent markers
Nextek develops marker for plastic food packaging labels to improve separation from non-food packaging during recycling; achieves 96% purity and meets EU requirements
January 27, 2020
EU bans recycling of materials containing PBDEs
EU withdraws exemption under Stockholm Convention that allowed recycling of materials containing the brominated flame retardants tetrabromodiphenyl ether (tetraBDE) and pentabromodiphenyl ether (pentaBDE)
