Even if all EU Member States reach their binding 60% recycling target by 2030, current trends indicate that the amount of residual municipal waste might exceed 80 million tonnes in that year — missing the target by more than 23 million tonnes, according to analysis by the European Environment Agency.
The European Union (EU) circular economy action plan aims to halve the amount of municipal waste in the EU that is not recycled by 2030.
According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, achieving this target requires both reducing waste generation and considerably increasing recycling, possibly even beyond the binding recycling target of 60%.
“Reaching 2030’s residual municipal waste target — why recycling is not enough” analyses recent municipal waste trends in the EU in the light of achieving two key waste targets: the obligation for each EU Member State to recycle at least 60% of municipal waste by 2030, and the EU level goal of halving residual municipal waste that is landfilled or incinerated by 2030.
If more municipal waste keeps getting generated, the EU would have to recycle about 72% of it to meet the target of halving the amount of residual (non-recycled) municipal waste by 2030, the EEA says.
The amount of residual municipal waste has remained relatively stable in the EU over the past five years, at about 113 million tonnes, because the recycling rates and the amount of waste generated have increased approximately with the same pace. In 2020, about 48% of municipal waste in the EU was recycled.
If more municipal waste keeps getting generated, the EU would have to recycle about 72% of it to meet the target of halving the amount of residual (non-recycled) municipal waste by 2030, the EEA says.
Alternatively, the target could be achieved by reducing the amount of waste generated by around one third and achieving the 60% recycling rate in all EU member states, according to the analysis.
Reaching the 72% recycling rate would require “significant improvement” in waste collection systems and recycling infrastructure, as well as a widespread redesign of consumer products for easier recycling, the EEA briefing states.
However, preventing waste generation in the first place would deliver the greatest benefits for the environment. This would require, for example, increasing the lifespan of consumer goods and ensuring strong support for product reuse.
As part of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Commission has recently made a package of proposals to make goods on the EU market more friendly to the environment, circular, and energy efficient, as well as a new strategy to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable.
