Shopkeepers spared compliance costs of recycling wrapping paper

GreenPak has proposed changes to EU packaging laws to remove some of the new items introduced in the packaging and non-packaging list of the proposed Annex I.

These amendments, which will also be supported at EU level by ProEurope which operates national Green Dot schemes in 33 countries in Europe,will be legally-binding if accepted by the European Council.

GreenPak, which collects recyclable waste for producers and importers, will be soliciting for the removal the non-packaging criterions which include wrapping paper (sold separately), paper baking cases (sold empty) and cake dollies sold without a cake.

“With the EC revisions, retailers who are in the habit of gift-wrapping sold items would become directly responsible for recycling such paper. This would be an added obligation on small retailers, one which creates unnecessary burden for the Maltese small business,” said Ing Mario Schembri, GreenPak’s CEO.

“We believe it is far easier to ensure compliance by ‘sellers’ of wrapping paper rather than their users who are mostly small retailers or sole shop owners. There are fewer sellers of wrapping paper than there are retailers using wrapping paper. So GreenPak believes this is a logical way forward that the responsibility for recycling wrapping paper remains with the wholesalers. The same reasoning applies to the other items such as paper baking cases and cake dollies,” he said.

Directive 94/62/EC covers all packaging placed on the market in the Community and all packaging waste, whether it is used or released at industrial, commercial, office, shop, service, household or any other level, regardless of the material used.

The Directive was formulated with the aim of harmonising national measures in order to prevent or reduce the impact of packaging and packaging waste on the environment and to ensure the functioning of the Internal Market.

Originally, the European Commission had planned to publish guidelines which would not havebeen legally binding.  This however was revised.In order for these changes to be legally binding, Member States are obligedto introduce such intheir respective national legislationby not later than 31st December 2011.

Article 3.1of Directive 94/62/EC defines'packaging' by setting out a numberofcriteria listed in Annex I.These constituteillustrative examples of their applications.

Amongst the items that the European Commission will beaddressedas a priority one can find, CD and video cases, flower pots, gas cylinders,  tubes around whichflexible material is wound, release paper of self-adhesive labels and wrapping paper.

GreenPak operates the longest running waste recovery scheme in Malta and has operated uninterruptedly since 2006. Today, it represents the largest membership base with almost 400 members and has grown into a Cooperative under the banner of “legal compliance at the least possible cost.”

In October 2010, independent auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers completed compliance audits of GreenPak’s scheme for the years from 2006 to 2009.  These audits were based on MEPA’s testing requirements confirming GreenPak’s operations where according to MEPA’s permit.