As part of its package to strengthen plastics circularity, the European Commission has established harmonised, EU-wide end-of-waste criteria for plastics under the Waste Framework Directive, due to apply from 1 July 2026. The criteria define the conditions under which recycled plastic — “plastic recyclate” — ceases to be waste and can be placed on the market as a secondary raw material. Until now these rules have varied from one Member State to another, creating legal uncertainty and administrative friction. A single EU framework is intended to reduce complexity, particularly for SMEs, and to support a more integrated Single Market for recycled plastics.
For producer responsibility organisations and recyclers, clear end-of-waste rules are foundational. They determine when recyclate can move freely as a product, shape the value and availability of secondary raw materials, and underpin progress towards the PPWR’s recycled-content targets. Predictable, coherent criteria help recyclers invest with confidence and give producers a reliable supply of compliant recycled material — exactly the kind of demand- and supply-side certainty the wider circular economy debate is calling for.
EXPRA, together with EPRO, contributed to the Commission’s consultation on the criteria. While strongly supporting harmonisation and the legal certainty it brings, EXPRA highlighted the importance of a realistic implementation timeline, a sufficiently broad scope and clearer, achievable thresholds — so that the new rules strengthen, rather than disrupt, functioning recycling markets and progress towards recycled-content targets. EXPRA will continue to follow implementation closely, ensuring that end-of-waste criteria work in practice and reinforce the broader objectives of the upcoming Circular Economy Act.