Although the European Union (EU) performs much better than the rest of the world in waste management, there is high, largely untapped potential for significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and societal costs, while also strengthening economic security. Currently, EU waste management reduces annual EU greenhouse gas emissions by around 1 %, while global waste management is a net emitter. These findings come from a scientific study entitled ‘A comprehensive assessment of the environmental and economic impacts of the entire EU waste management system’, a collaboration between the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Technical University of Denmark.

Current status and benefits

Study found that waste management in the EU saves 17 kg of CO2 equivalent for every ton of waste managed, which represents around 34 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. This represents a saving of just 1 % compared to the total annual greenhouse gas emissions of the EU economy (around 3800 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2020). For comparison, the UN estimates global municipal waste emissions at around 250 kg of CO2 equivalent per tonne. Up to 83 % of EU emissions savings are due to highly successful metal waste managementThis achievement largely offsets emissions from the management of major waste types such as plastics, textiles and bio-waste, which have relatively low recycling rates and often end up in mixed waste – a significant contributor to emissions.

Challenges and critical waste streams

Despite progress, the study highlights the need for greater efforts to reducing misplacement of recyclable waste into mixed wasteAn example is household waste, where approximately 50 % of waste produced by households ends up in a mixed container, despite being recyclable materials. This applies not only to households, but also to other waste streams such as construction and demolition waste, commercial and agricultural waste. Low collection rates mean that many recyclable materials are not properly separated and collected. For example, only 41 % of plastic packaging is currently separately collected for recycling, and only around 22 % of post-consumer textile waste is separately collected and sent for recycling. Less than half of the bio-waste generated in the EU in 2017 was separately collected and sent for recycling.

Critical material flows that require policy attention from a greenhouse gas emissions perspective include:

• Plastics
• Biowaste
• Mineral waste
• Textile
• Sludge
• Other hazardous waste
• Hazardous chemical waste
• Soil

Plastics, bio-waste and textile waste are characterised by low collection rates, leading to high levels of misplacement in mixed waste. Mixed waste subsequently becomes a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, as it is disposed of primarily in landfills and incinerators.

Social costs

The study also assessed the social costs of waste management. It found that the EU waste management system costs EUR 68 per tonne of waste managed, equivalent to €136 billion per year or EUR 304 per citizenThis means that waste management in the EU is still far from achieving a positive net benefit: the social value gained from waste does not compensate for the social costs incurred in its management. The only material for which a net societal cost benefit is achieved is metals. The most expensive to manage are mineral waste, bio-waste and plastic waste. For comparison, the UN estimates the societal cost of (municipal) waste management globally at around €149 per tonne managed, more than double the EU cost.

EU methodology and legislation For a comprehensive assessment, methodologies were used Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) a Life Cycle Costing (LCC) Calculations. These methodologies take into account the impacts and costs throughout the entire life cycle of waste, from its generation to disposal, including all related treatments and their emissions (e.g. collection, transport, sorting, incineration, recycling, landfilling). They also take into account the savings achieved through proper management, where recycling replaces primary materials, and energy recovery from waste leads to environmental and cost savings.

The EU has many laws to deal with different types of waste. Key ones include the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) a Single-use plastics directive, which set ambitious targets for the recycling and reuse of plastic packaging, underlining the EU's commitment to significantly reduce plastic waste and promote sustainable practices. The EU's ambitions go beyond plastics, as demonstrated by the upcoming Circular Economy Act, which aims to create a single market for secondary raw materials and increase their supply and demand. The EU Waste Directive also obliges Member States to set up separate collection systems for bio-waste and textile waste, setting a target target to recycle 65 % of municipal waste by 2035.

The study clearly identifies areas where improvements are needed, particularly in waste collection and sorting, particularly for plastics, textiles and bio-waste. Proper waste management is a key element of EU environmental policy and The transition to a circular economy is the basis for waste minimization and the efficient use and reuse of resourcesThere is a huge, yet untapped potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and costs, supporting a sustainable future for the EU. JRi