1. Challenges of Resource Efficiency
Karolina Fras
European Commission – DG Environment
21 October 2009

2. Waste as a resource
Waste as a source of emissions
Waste as a tradable good

3. 1. Waste as a resource
Leakage of resources outside EU (illegal shipments)
Untapped recovery potential + huge discrepancies between MS
Over 50% potentially recyclable waste disposed
Examples:
Paper (56% replaces primary material, but 31 to 66% of wasted recycling potential)
Iron, steel (75% replaces primary material, but 15 to 52% of wasted recycling potential)
Bio-waste (37% replaces primary material, but 31 to 98% of wasted recycling potential)

4. Current state of waste recovery in the EU
18 selected waste streams (85% of total waste in EU 27 in 2004)
46% recovered - 54% disposed
Highest recovery rates:
Rubber & tyres
Iron & steel, copper, lead
Paper & cardboard
Lowest recovery rates:
Bio-waste
Plastics
Textiles

5. Recycling, incineration and landfilling of municipal solid wastes in Europe
Source: EEA, 2007. 5

6. 2. Waste and emissions Oekopol Prognos FFact EEA Consultancy
Focus / scenario
Additional potential in Mt CO2 equivalent saved
Oekopol
Recycling MSW (WFD target) 88
Prognos
Recycling MSW (WFD target) + 12 waste streams
140 – 230 Mt/year
(16 – 27% of EU Kyoto target)
FFact
Energy from waste (40% in WtE) 45
EEA
Decreased landfilling, increased recycling and energy recovery 85

7. 3. Waste as a good Limited supply of certain raw materials in EU
Dependence on imports
Market distortions and volatility

8. Where are we now?
Despite its maturity (30 years of waste framework Directive) the Community waste legislation is not implemented sufficiently well by all Member States and economic players:
Thousands of illegal landfills
More than 1 on 4 shipments of waste found to be illegal
Frequent infringement cases
Still high risk of damage to health and safety

9. Action? Legislation Implementation Improved markets
revised WFD with its EOW criteria, waste hierarchy, separate collection and recycling targets
daughter directives on waste streams
new legislation?...
Implementation
key issue, in all MS
WSR, Landfill and Waste Framework Directive as priorities
EU Waste Agency?
Improved markets
quality of recyclates (info, labelling, standards)
transaction costs (exchange of info, facilitate search of business partners)
stable supply of secondary raw materials (improve waste collection and management schemes in MS)
other?...

10. Revised Waste Framework Directive and resource efficiency

11. Elements promoting resource efficiency
Waste management hierarchy
Life cycle thinking
Clarification – streamlining definitions (recovery, recycling, waste, end-of-waste, by-products, etc)
Obligation of separate collection
New recycling targets
Focus on prevention

12. Setting priorities with the 5-step Waste Hierarchy
PREVENTION
Order of priorities
Moving waste management up the hierarchy
Best environmental outcome
Life-cycle approach
PREPARING FOR REUSE
RECYCLING (COMPOSTING)
RECOVERY
DISPOSAL

13. New recycling targets
By 2020, the preparing for re-use and recycling of:
50% by weight of at least paper, metal, plastic and glass from household and possibly other origins as far as these waste streams are similar to waste from households;
70% by weight of non-hazardous construction & demolition waste;

14. New dimension of prevention
New requirements concerning prevention:
MS to establish waste prevention programmes;
Programmes to set out prevention objectives, describe prevention measures, determine qualitative and quantitative benchmarks or targets for waste prevention;
Indicators to be developed by the Commission;
Commission to create a system for sharing information on best practice regarding waste prevention and develop guidelines for MS;

15. Other waste legislation and resource efficiency

16. SOME TARGETS IN EU WASTE LEGISLATION
min recovery
min recycling
collection rate
Packaging
2008
60%
55%
Cars
2015
95%
85%
100%
Electronics
2006
70%
50%
min 4 kg per inhabitant per year
Batteries
2011
50% to 75% (efficiency)
2012
25%
2016
 45%
Tyres
0 landfill of tyres
Biowaste diverted from landfills
reduction to 75% of the 1995 level
2009
reduction to 50% of the 1995 level
reduction to 35% of the 1995 level
New targets
Separate collection: at least paper/metal/plastic/glass
(WFD)
2020
50% household waste
70% construction and demolition waste

17. What needs to be separately collected?
WFD:
By 2015 separate collection shall be set up for at least the following: paper, metal, plastic and glass.
Bio-Waste
Waste Oils
Hazardous Waste
Other waste legislation:
Batteries and accumulators
WEEE
ELV
Packaging
PCBc / PCTs
Tyres (landfill ban as of 2003 for whole and 2006 for shredded)

18. Conclusion and outlook
Waste is one aspect of a broader concept of resource efficiency
Waste Framework Directive and other Community legislation provide means to achieve resource efficient EU economy
Implementation is a key to success, efforts need to be stepped up to improve it

19. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ European Commission