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EEA Signals 2009 - Key environmental issues facing Europe: Signals is published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) at the start of each year and provides snapshot stories on issues of interest both to the environmental policy debate and the wider public for the upcoming year. The eight stories addressed are not exhaustive but have been selected on the basis of their relevance to the current environmental policy debate in Europe. They address priority issues of climate change, nature and biodiversity, the use of natural resources and health.
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Electric and electronic equipment put on the market, WEEE collected and recycled/reused in 26 European countries (kg/capita/year), in 2010: The figure shows the amount of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) that has been put on the market, and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) collected in total, collected from private households and reused and recycled in European countries, stated in kg/capita. The figures are related to the collection target of 4 kg/capita/year. Values are related to 2010.
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EU exporting more waste, including hazardous waste: Waste is increasingly moving across EU borders, for recovery or disposal. This is true for waste shipments between EU countries, and also transfers of waste outside the EU, according to a new assessment from the European Environment Agency (EEA).
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Europe's demand for resources reaching far beyond its borders: Demand for materials is so intense that between 20 and 30 % of the resources we use in Europe are now imported. With the boom in international trade, EU consumption and production damage ecosystems and human health far beyond Europe’s borders, according to a report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
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Generation and recycling of packaging waste (CSI 017/waste 002) - Assessment published Mar 2010: The generation of packaging waste per capita in EU is growing, although there are signs of this increase slowing down. This slowing down rate could be attributed to the change of packaging materials, as the largest increase occurs for paper and plastics. The EU policy objective ( Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste) for packaging waste prevention does not seem to be applied yet. In 2008 packaging waste was reduced but it is difficult to attribute this change either to effective waste prevention (decoupling of waste from GDP) or to the reduction of GDP (no decoupling). The recycling schemes appear to be quite effective for this waste stream. After 2000, recycling covers more than 50% of the treatment, a lot higher than the 25% target for 2001. In 2008, recycling covered 61%, already exceeding the 55% for 2008. Figure 5 shows, however, that in many countries there is still room for improvement.
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Generation and recycling of packaging waste (CSI 017/waste 002) - Assessment published Dec 2011: The generation of packaging waste per capita in EU is growing, although there are signs of slowing down or stabilizing in the trend. In 2008 generation of packaging waste was reduced, albeit a high level of 163,5 kg/capita in the EU-27. However, it is difficult to attribute this change either to effective waste prevention (decoupling of waste from GDP) or to the reduction of GDP due to economic downturn (no decoupling). This slowing down rate could also be attributed to the change of packaging materials, as the largest increase occurs for paper and plastics. The recycling schemes and economic instruments appear to be quite effective for this waste stream. In 2008, recycling covered 61% of the packaging waste, exceeding the 55% target for 2008 defined in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. However, in many countries there is still room for improvement.
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Generation and recycling of packaging waste (CSI 017/waste 002) - Assessment published Nov 2012: The generation of packaging waste per capita in the EU has followed a growing trend until 2006. Between 2006 and 2009, a stabilisation was observed, while in 2009 effects of the economic downturn were reflected by a decreased level of packaging waste. In 2010, amount of packaging waste generated became 157 kg/capita following a slight increase in the trend after the economic downturn. This is a clear indication that, neither decoupling waste generation from economic growth nor the EU policy objective of waste prevention has as yet been accomplished for this waste stream. However, the recycling schemes appear to be quite effective for packaging waste. After 2000, recycling covered more than 50% of the generated packaging waste, a lot higher than the 25% target of the Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste for the year 2001. In 2008, recycling covered 61% of the generated waste, already exceeding the 2008 target of the Directive, which is 55%. The situation improved slightly in 2010 as the recycling rate of 63,2% was achieved at the EU-27 level.
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GHG emissions from municipal waste management in the EU, Switzerland and Norway: This figure shows the GHG emissions associated with municipal waste management for the EU-27 (without Cyprus) plus Norway and Switzerland, differentiated according to the contribution of specific waste treatment paths. The GHG emissions are calculated using a life-cycle approach. In order to see the overall effect of waste management, the avoided emissions (counted as negative values) are plotted with the direct emissions, giving the net greenhouse gas emissions from MSW management in European countries (the black line).
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Global demand of selected emerging technologies for raw materials in 2006 and 2030 relative to global output of each material in 2006: -
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Greenland is stepping up its efforts to improve waste management: Reduce, reuse, recycle – the common mantra of waste management makes the process sound simple. But while these three ingredients may be the same, the recipe for sustainable waste management can be very different – and Greenland’s unique environment presents some considerable challenges.
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