About: recycling targets
Europe risks missing e-waste recycling targets, EU auditors warn
Only two European countries are anywhere close to being on track to achieving the EU's recycling targets for electronic waste – or e-waste – the European Court of Auditors warned on Thursday (20 May).
Recycling firms urge EU to raise used battery collection goal
Leading companies in the waste management sector have called on EU lawmakers to revise a draft regulation on sustainable batteries to increase the target for used battery collection and to make it mandatory for battery producers to use recycled content in their production cycles.
Lawmakers back mandatory targets in EU circular economy action plan
Lawmakers in the European Parliament adopted a set of ambitious proposals on the EU’s circular economy action plan on Tuesday (9 February), including calls to introduce mandatory targets to reduce waste.
Circular economy can cut CO2 emissions by 39%: study
Switching to a circular economy could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 39% and ease pressure on virgin materials by 28%, according to the Circularity Gap Report, published on Tuesday (26 January).
Blue, yellow or white? Recycling varies widely in the EU
Deposit return and extended producer responsibility schemes are everywhere in the EU but have very different rules. Does this present a barrier to meeting the EU’s recycling objectives?
Climate action needs better products
The EU has recently paved the way for longer-lasting products. Now we must enshrine this ambition into our future European Green Deal, write Jean-Pierre Schweitzer and Melissa Zill.
Brussels plans new EU packaging rules to cut waste
The European Commission has started gathering views from EU member states, the packaging industry and online retailers ahead of a comprehensive review of EU rules on packaging waste, part of efforts to boost reuse and recycling rates by 2030.
EU official: ‘Growing consensus’ for fresh plastic recycling laws
The European Commission is looking at targets for recycled plastics into new products as a way to boost demand for secondary raw materials, according to a senior EU official involved in drafting upcoming laws on recycling.
Why the EU’s renewable energy proposal subverts the circular economy
To date, the Renewable Energy Directive has been a key obstacle to achieving waste policy objectives. If the EU is serious about the transition towards a circular economy, it is crucial that incentive schemes for renewables encourage separate collection and recycling, writes Janek Vahk.
EU legislators strike early morning deal on waste
After almost 18 hours of negotiations, the European Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a proposed package of waste legislation in the early hours of Monday (18 December).
Lithuania plans to burn more waste – but does it have enough?
Lithuania plans to build more waste incineration plants, which the government says could lead to reducing energy bills – but politicians and NGOs worry that it would jeopardise recycling targets as not enough waste is being produced.
Recyclers claim EU carbon quotas from saved energy, CO2 emissions
French recyclers were in Brussels last week with a big ask – EU regulators must reward the whole recycling value chain for preventing emissions of global warming gases, they claimed, a message received with caution by the European Commission, which points to a lack of data.