New research published on October 12th by Zero Waste Europe finds that a radical improvement of the EU residual waste policy is needed in order to make it fit for a circular, carbon-free economy.
The in-depth analysis of the state of affairs of EU residual waste policy shows that the current policy favoring incineration as a way for dealing with residual waste is unwarranted. The study emphasizes the lack of unequivocal evidence in support of the current state of affairs, referring to evidence from various studies, including some funded by the European Commission.
Furthermore, the study warns of the impacts of the current incineration-dominated strategy for managing residual waste on the potential for moving waste further up the hierarchy, into prevention and recycling. It also highlights the incompatibility of the current EU residual waste strategy with the climate agenda.
The report states that EU policy should reflect new knowledge and evidence, and not be based on a dogmatic view regarding one or another technology. It stresses the importance of recognizing the improvements that can be made to managing residual waste in ways that are consistent with the EU Green Deal.
The prime focus of the EU policy as regards residual waste should be on reduction of waste and emissions. As of today it focuses on moving waste from landfill into incineration without any justifiable backing. Unless reversed, the current bias for incineration will play against the Circular Economy and EU’s efforts to fight climate change
Janek Vӓhk, Climate, Energy and Air Pollution Coordinator at Zero Waste Europe
With this in mind, Zero Waste Europe calls for a package of measures to ensure sound management of residual waste and to support the ambition of the Green Deal. These include
- Elaborating a clear definition of ‘treatment’ to define this as ‘treatment of waste prior to landfilling’.
- Acknowledging, in the Landfill Directive, that waste which has been treated is to be regarded as ‘no longer biodegradable’.
- Removing the R1 formula in Annex II of the Waste Framework Directive so that municipal waste incineration is no longer able to be classified as ‘recovery’.
- Amending the municipal waste landfill minimisation target from the current 10% landfill target by 2035 to a target of 0% of municipal waste landfilled without prior treatment.
- Mandating the use of mixed waste sorting systems of a defined quality at the front of all new incineration plants, and those which have been operational for less than ten years.
- Establishing a target to reduce residual municipal waste to less than 175kg/inh, to be achieved on the same schedule as the existing Waste Framework Directive recycling targets.
- Including incineration facilities within the EU-ETS as a means to encourage progress in the quality of sorting systems for removing plastics from the mixed waste.
According to Zero Waste Europe, these policy changes will significantly improve the climate change emissions associated with the management of waste, and ensure better alignment between planning and the project fostering a more Circular Economy.
