Environmental indicator report 2012 - Ecosystem resilience and resource efficiency in a green economy in Europe

Turning waste into resources: As Europe grows wealthier it creates more and more rubbish. Every man, woman and child in the EU generates over a kilo of waste every day. Multiply that figure by nearly half a billion EU citizens and it quickly becomes clear that managing our waste without harming the environment is a major headache.
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Total turnover of recycling of seven key recyclables in the EU, 2004 and 2006–2009: 'Precious metals' include silver, gold and platinum. 'Other metals' include lead, zinc, tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, magnesium, cobalt, bismuth, cadmium, titanium, antimony, manganese, beryllium, chromium, germanium, vanadium, niobium, rhenium, gallium, indium and cermets. * The 2009 calculation is based on the values for only the second half of 2009. Despite the huge decline in commodity prices at the beginning of 2009 due to the economic downturn, the total turnover of recyclables recovered markedly in the second half of 2009.
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Progress of European countries up the recycling hierarchy (material and bio-waste recycling), 2001–2010: The number of countries achieving defined intervals of total recycling in 2001 and 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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Part 2. Thematic indicator-based assessments: Located in Publications › Environmental indicator report 2012 › Environmental indicator report 2012 - Ecosystem resilience and resource efficiency in a green economy in Europe
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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Recycling of packaging waste by country, 2007: Recycle of packaging waste
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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.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Generation and recycling of packaging waste
Business and environment: Eco-technologies: Green innovation for sustainable development. The European Union’s environmental technologies industry is a promising industrial sector with a vast potential for growth. At present it employs more than 2 million people across the Union and has a market value of roughly €200 billion. The EU is a leading supplier of environmental technologies in the world, representing about one-third of the global market for these technologies. It is for their environmental benefits but also for their contribution to economic growth that the European Commission is actively promoting the development and the uptake of environmental technologies.
Located in Environmental topics › Green economy › Multimedia
Taking stock of our resource use on World Environment Day – 5 June 2011: Humans are consuming the world’s limited resources at increasingly rapid rate, and Europe is particularly reliant on imported goods to sustain its high levels of consumption. On World Environment Day, the European Environment Agency (EEA) draws attention to Europe’s resource use and offers tips to reduce it.
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