The world of waste is changing, and fast.
Waste management across the EU has improved over the last couple of decades but almost a third of municipal waste is still sent to a landfill site.
This is why the European Commission introduced the initial Circular Economy Package, to help businesses and consumers make a smooth transition to a circular economy, where waste is seen as a resource, which can be reused, recycled or remanufactured and not sent to landfill.
With packaging waste regulations set to be updated in the near future, the European packaging industry is calling for the free movement of packaged goods to be safeguarded.
Amendments for the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD), as part of the Circular Economy Package, are in discussion, however, it is understood that the changes to the Directive could risk the end of the internal market for packaging and packaged goods. 
The Directive, which aims to protect the environment and safeguard the functioning of the internal market, requires EU member states to take measures to prevent packaging waste and develop packaging reuse systems.
The perceptions of waste are set to change, but is this transformation going to have a big enough environmental impact? After all, recycling targets can easily be met by recycling a small amount of heavy materials but is there a great environmental benefit to do this?
Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us, @RPS_Limited.
