European Commission new waste targets: 2025 landfill ban for recyclables
Bioplas Australia
Challenging goals have been included in the last European Commission Waste Targets Review:
- 70% recycling of municipal waste by 2030;
- 80 % recycling of packaging waste by 2030, with material-specific targets set to gradually increase between 2020 and 2030 (to reach 90 % for paper by 2025 and 60% for plastics, 80% for wood, 90% of ferrous metal, aluminium and glass by the end of 2030);
- Phasing out landfilling by 2025 for recyclable (including plastics, paper, metals, glass and bio-waste) waste in non hazardous waste landfills – corresponding to a maximum landfilling rate of 25%;
- Measures aimed at reducing food waste generation by 30 % by 2025.
Achieving the new targets could create up to 580,000 new waste management jobs and make Europe more competitive by reducing demand for costly scarce resources, according to the Commission.
"If we want to compete we have to get the most out of our resources, and that means recycling them back into productive use, not burying them in landfills as waste," said Janez Potočnik, the environment commissioner. "Moving to a circular economy is not only possible, it is profitable, but that does not mean it will happen without the right policies. The 2030 targets that we propose are about taking action today to accelerate the transition to a circular economy and exploiting the business and job opportunities it offers," he said.
The 2025 landfill ban would apply to the main types of recyclable waste: plastics, metals, glass, paper and cardboard, and biodegradable waste. The new targets would also include specific plans to tackle marine litter and reduce household food waste.