EU Waste Policy
Waste management is the process of collecting, transporting, disposing, recycling and monitoring of waste.
The Waste Framework Directive sets the basic concepts and definitions related to waste management, including definitions of waste, recycling and recovery.
The Waste Framework Directive lays down some basic waste management principles. It requires that waste be managed:
It explains when waste ceases to be waste and becomes a secondary raw material, and how to distinguish between waste and by-products. The Directive also introduces the "polluter pays principle" and the "extended producer responsibility".
The foundation of EU waste management is the five-step “waste hierarchy”, established in the Waste Framework Directive. It establishes an order of preference for managing and disposing of waste.
In 2018 the EU adopted new rules to turn waste into a resource, encourage innovation and inspire change towards a more circular economy.
The transition towards a circular economy is one of the flagship policies under the European Union’s Green Deal. The circular economy is about moving away from a throw-away culture to a sustainable economy that moves from a linear (extract, make, dispose) to a circular system (recycle, reuse, remake, share).
In other words, the circular economy aims to fundamentally change waste management in Europe: treating it as a resource rather than something we just want to get rid of. In theory, the circular economy is based on the waste hierarchy. So, the priority is waste avoidance and to maintain products, materials and resources for as long as possible by keeping them in the product cycle. The idea is that the more that is re-used then the less that is discarded, and the fewer raw materials will need to the extracted. The EU’s latest Circular Economy Action Plan includes a set of ambitious measures to reach the political objectives set.
The EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan ‘For a cleaner and more competitive Europe’, adopted in March 2020, plays a key role in delivering the European Green Deal’s ambitious vision of a just, climate neutral, resource -efficient and competitive economy. The Action Plan will ensure the EU continuous to lead the way towards a global circular economy. European companies are part of international supply chains, often starting in developing countries. The circular economy approach is key for global sustainable consumption and production.
