MEPs give green light for new EU waste legislation with binding 2020 targets

The EU will have new waste legislation which includes re-use and recycling targets to be attained by 2020. The directive sets out rules on recycling and requires Member States to draw up binding national programmes for waste prevention. Waste prevention targets will be considered by the Commission in the future. Approximately 1.8 billion tonnes of waste is generated each year in Europe – that’s about 3.5 tonnes per person. This consists mainly of waste from households, commercial activities, industry, agriculture, construction and demolition projects, mining and quarrying activities and from energy generation.

Municipal waste generation (mainly from households) averages 530kg per person per year, an average that masks significant differences among Member States. In 2005, 49% of EU municipal waste was disposed of through landfill, 18% was incinerated and 27% recycled or composted.

Source: Resource Recovery Forum Email News Service