The EU Commission’s representative in charge of the Landfill Directive, Jose Jorge Diaz del Castillo, has confirmed the intention to propose a phase-out of biodegradable waste going to landfill by 2020 - 2025.

Intended to prevent or reduce the adverse effects of landfill on the environment, the 1999 Landfill Directive requires that no more than 35% of 1995 biowaste levels should be landfilled by 2016.

The Commission’s intention to end the landfilling of biowaste completely was made during a recent workshop on landfilling organised by the European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD) in Prague, where Castillo reported on the non-compliance of Member States with the existing diversion targets as set in the Directive.

As the Commission services are currently gathering and analysing the relevant data, Castillo fears the possibility that several countries may not have met the 2009 and 2010 targets.

In spite of this, he announced the Commission?s intention to propose to “phase-out of biodegradable waste going to landfill by 2020 - 2025”. Although he added that the exact scope of the measure has still not been agreed.

Castillo said that the Commission has made an inventory, and at least 619 illegal landfills have been identified in the EU. However, did not wish to “name and shame” the concerned countries as the situation is at the pre-contentious phase.

The figure could be under-estimated as two countries had not yet provided any information explained Castillo. Moreover, he reported that since the deadline for implementation of the Directive in 2001, a total of 177 infringement cases had been initiated by the Commission across Europe.