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War on waste: how the EU is tackling illegal shipments to developing countries
euronews (in English)
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04/06/2024
Every year Europe exports millions of tonnes of waste to developing countries, and not all of it legally. Cyril Fourneris explores EU efforts to combat the illicit waste trade and initiatives to make better use of it in Europe.
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00:00
Has your rubbish bag or old phone ended its journey on the other side of the world?
00:10
Every year, Europe exports millions of tons of weight to developing countries.
00:14
So what's the impact on the environment?
00:21
In this highly lucrative business, it's estimated that a third of shipments are illegal.
00:27
Organizations are making billions.
00:29
It's essential not only to stop a container, but to identify the network behind it.
00:35
The European Union has therefore decided to limit waste exports and encourage recycling
00:39
across the EU.
00:41
But is it that easy?
00:42
That's what we're going to find out.
00:50
To film this episode, we cross the Mediterranean to Tunisia.
00:59
An infamous case of illicit household waste trafficking is well-remembered as the Italian
01:04
waste affair.
01:25
Houssem is the founder of an association promoting recycling in Tunis.
01:31
He's one of the whistleblowers of the Tunisie Verte network, which has fought to have waste
01:35
sent back to Europe.
02:08
trafficking continues.
02:10
This year, Italian customs seized another 82 tons of waste on route to Tunisia.
02:15
This former member of parliament has been sounding the alarm for years.
02:41
Waste management is a thorny issue in Tunisia.
02:44
The country has launched a major modernization plan, but in practice, waste is often buried
02:49
unsorted in huge landfill sites.
02:52
Some are controlled, others are illegal, like this one in the southern suburbs of the capital.
02:58
A
03:23
new European regulation has just come into force.
03:27
Countries that are not OECD members, such as Tunisia, will have to prove that they have
03:32
the capacity to treat waste sustainably in order to receive it.
03:36
The export of plastic waste outside the EU will be banned.
03:45
The regulation also includes new tools to combat these eco-mafias.
03:50
We head back to Europe to find out more.
04:01
More than a million containers pass through these docks every year.
04:04
Some of this waste is exported under false customs declarations.
04:10
Officers stopped this container before it left for Thailand.
04:14
It's full of burnt rubber.
04:29
Italian customs participate in a new European rapid alert system.
04:59
Which is activated when they identify suspicious cargo.
05:02
It can be scanned and inspected.
05:06
Another example is this container, supposedly carrying new equipment to Malaysia.
05:11
But these old TV decoders intrigue the customs officers.
05:15
They are in reality e-waste.
05:40
The European Union has also strengthened the law on environmental crime, with tougher
05:44
penalties and an extended list of offences.
05:47
OLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office, plays a key role in coordinating investigations.
05:53
In particular for environmental cases, it's essential to put together not only customs
05:58
authorities that are our natural counterpart, but also environmental authorities.
06:03
So we try to build a bridge between EU from one side and the country of destination, and
06:08
then investigate in the country of export, if there is a network behind, and work in
06:14
order to dismantle the network.
06:17
It shouldn't be forgotten that waste is often a precious resource.
06:21
The new rules encourage the transfer and recovery of waste within the EU.
06:26
We left Italy for northern France.
06:32
So what are the challenges and opportunities for better waste management?
06:36
Let's ask one of the European recycling leaders.
06:39
This new plant recycles old electronic cables.
06:43
It has a capacity of 20,000 tonnes a year, the equivalent of two Eiffel Towers.
06:56
Copper was listed by the EU as a critical material to boost the electrification of industry
07:01
and economic output.
07:02
The group received funds from the French recovery plan to relocate this activity.
07:18
The circular economy is a Green Deal priority, but less than 12% of the materials consumed
07:23
in the EU today come from recycling.
07:31
We have ambitious recycling goals, to have incentives for industrialists to consume
07:36
recycled materials.
07:37
And today it is still very insufficient.
07:39
We must consume and develop the incorporation of recycled materials in the new products
07:43
that we consume on the European territory.
07:49
This is the end of this episode.
07:50
We will meet again next month.
07:52
We will talk about the fight against greenwashing.
07:54
See you soon.
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