Waste and contaminated soil Act was adopted on 6 June by the Congress, where will return to its ratification, after the vote on Wednesday, with 237 votes in favour, 0 against, and two abstentions of 239 senators present. During the debate, both the PP and CiU have expressed their unease by the fact that Bill has been processed by urgent procedure by its volume of amendments and have demanded changes in the system so that legislation of this magnitude and depth – as the popular Senator Jose Valin – can be counted with the negotiation process and enough with the aim of promoting reflection better laws. More than 400 million in the law machines has come down to where I could reach, ensures Domingo Jimenez Beltran, former Director of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and coordinator of the platform returns, supported, among others, by the Trade Union CCOO and the Confederation of consumers and users. It is not what we would have liked, but given resistances of the economic sector and the pressures that we have received, we believe that it is an important step. We must congratulate the legislator, he said. According to returns, the SDDR has been implanted successfully in countries such as Germany and bears on a significant increase in the management of beverage containers, whose annual marketing, about 51 million, according to its figures, only recycle 30%. The SDDR will end up implementing because the consumer wants it and because it provides common sense.
It rewards the responsible consumer, said Jimenez. Contrary to the draft platform, headed by Ecoembes, Ecovidrio, managers of waste in the GIS, the Spanish Federation of food industries and drinks and the Spanish Confederation of Commerce, denounces the additional cost of the system for trade and industry, which estimated at 465 billion euros. His approach also points to spending that every consumer contributes to the system for the advance payment of the returnable container. In countries in which already operates the SDDR used mechanized tanks delivered to the consumer a receipt by return containers, redeemable for money in establishments or as a credit on the next purchase. For the implementation of the callback and return system, the law dictates the degree of fulfilment of the minimum targets for reuse and recycling established by European directives shall be evaluated beforehand.
Ecoembes-Ecovidrio argue that Spain surpasses those objectives and that already in 2008, according to the latest data of the Ministry of the environment, is recycling the country 59% of containers, index which has increased year after year. Figures for 2008 from the Office of the EU, EUROSTAT, statistics on the treatment of municipal waste, brought to Spain, with 14% of waste recycled, below Germany (48), Belgium (35) and United Kingdom (23) and over Portugal (9) or Italy (11), among others. The Act also provides deadlines for the Elimination of plastic bags for single use, until its reduction by 80% in 2016. Source of the news: the Senate opens the door to retrieve the old containers returns system