The Waste Shipment Regulation has been revised again in 2024, and this new version aims to reduce the shipment of problematic waste out of the EU, among other objectives.
In this blog post we will tell you about the changes and when they come into force.
Amendments to the Waste Shipment Regulation
The Waste Shipment Regulation aims not only to reduce the shipment of problematic waste out of the EU, but also to update shipment procedures to reflect the objectives of the circular economy and climate neutrality, to use electronic submission and exchange of information, to improve compliance monitoring and to tackle illegal shipments.
In addition, it establishes measures to ensure that waste is only shipped to destinations where it is adequately treated in an environmentally sound manner.
Waste shipments between Member States
For waste shipments between Member States, pre-notification for hazardous waste and hazardous waste will continue to apply.
For green list shipments, the same rules apply, i.e. the issuance of Annex VII.
This process is to be automated, so that it is paperless and can be handled electronically. However, the new EU electronic sistem will not come into force until May 2026.
Waste exports
For exports of waste, the ban on Member States exporting waste destined for disposal to third countries and the ban on exporting hazardous waste destined for recovery to non-OECD countries continues.
However, for exports of waste on the green list, the following will change the current rules and come into force from May 2027:
OECD countries
For countries belonging to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the current procedure will continue to be the same as before.
Non-OECD countries
Exports to these countries will be banned, unless they can prove ex officio that they comply with environmental regulations. The authorities of non-OECD countries will be responsible for notifying their wish to obtain waste from the EU and will have to demonstrate their ability to manage such waste by submitting the relevant annexes.
All those still wishing to trade with Europe must submit a ‘Request for Inclusion’ to the Commission by 21 May 2025 and send it to env-waste-shipments@ec.europa.eu.