Life after end of life: The replacement of end of life product legislation by an European integrated product policy in the EC

Social trends and consumption patterns are encouraging a massive generation of waste in Europe, and while European Community waste policy has been effective in curbing the uncontrolled disposal of waste, it is necessary to make a critical examination of the current framework of European Community waste legislation. Problems of legal definition remain, and the relationship between waste policy and both the internal market and international trade rules gives rises to complexities and tensions which militate against a coherent and effective waste management policy. It is argued that modern waste management techniques should change the perception of waste from a threat to health and the environment to that of a resource, but waste legislation and policy still fails to adequately reflect this shift. The Green Paper on Integrated Product Policy, aimed at ensuring a rational use of resources using a life-cycle approach to all products, potentially represents an important step forwards. In relation to recycling, changing legal definitions is fraught with difficulty, but a new horizontal category for waste, 'waste for recycling', is proposed.