The undersigned associations – CEWEP, EPRO, EPSU, EuRIC, EXPRA, FEAD, FERVER, and Municipal Waste Europe, representing the entire public and private waste management value chain, extended producer responsibility organisations and public service unions, are expressing concerns over a significant increase in fire incidents within the European waste management sector, largely attributed to the misplacement of lithium batteries. These incidents present substantial safety hazards for workers, cause substantial damage to critical infrastructure, and jeopardise the financial stability of waste management operators, as well as the achievement of the European Union’s circular economy goals.
“We are calling upon the European Commission to take decisive regulatory action to mitigate these risks and protect Europe’s waste management infrastructure and workers”, the associations said in a joint release.
The position paper is available for download here.
