The EU must recycle at least 55% of all municipal waste by 2025
Even though waste management in the EU has improved significantly over the last few years, nearly 25% of municipal waste(1) is still disposed of in landfills and less than 50% is recycled or composted, with major variations between Member States.
The circular economy package presented on 16 April by the European Parliament fixes new targets for recyclingand disposal in landfills(2).
The EU must recycle at least 55% of all municipal waste by 2025 (compared to 47% in 2016), then 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035. A maximum of only 10% of this waste may be disposed of in landfills. Meanwhile, the quantities of food waste must be reduced by 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2050.
For packaging waste, the target is fixed at 65% for 2025 and 70% for 2030. These average levels mask certain disparities according to the packaging materials in question. For example, plastic packaging waste must be recycled at a level of 50% by 2025 and 55% by 2030.
At the forefront of public attention, the question of plastic waste will be the subject of a specific focus at Pollutec 2018. This is the chance to meet professionals from the sector, discover the latest advances in terms of innovation and sort out the fact from the fiction in this field where this is badly needed.
To find out more about the sectors receiving particular attention at Pollutec, visit our site www.pollutec.com
(1) Municipal waste (i.e. household waste and waste from businesses) represents 8% of all waste generated in the EU, far behind construction waste (34%) and waste from mines and quarries (30%). The remainder comprises industrial waste (10%), waste from agriculture, forestry and fisheries (1%) and other waste (17%).
(2) It must still be approved by the Council before publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
