Waste and material resources

Municipal waste recycling rates in 32 European countries, 2001 and 2010: The total recycling of municipal waste stated in percentage of the generated amount
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Yearly average percentage point increase in total recycling of municipal waste, 2001–2005 and 2006–2010: Yearly average percentage point increase in total recycling of municipal waste, 2001–2005 and 2006–2010
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Bio-waste recycling as a percentage of municipal waste generation in 32 European countries, 2001 and 2010: Bio-waste recycling in 32 European countries as a percentage of total municipal waste generated in 2001 and 2010
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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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Total turnover of recycling of seven key recyclables in the EU, 2004 and 2006–2009 - eps file: Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs › Total turnover of recycling of seven key recyclables in the EU, 2004 and 2006–2009
Big potential of cutting greenhouse gases from waste: There is a big potential to cut greenhouse gases (GHGs) from municipal solid waste management, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report, 'Waste opportunities – Past and future climate benefits from better municipal waste management in Europe', covers the EU-27 (excluding Cyprus), Norway and Switzerland. It estimates that these countries could make GHG savings of up to 78 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) by 2020, or 1.53 % of Europe's emissions in 2008.
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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.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Generation and recycling of packaging waste
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.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Generation and recycling of packaging waste
Total turnover of recycling of seven key recyclables in the EU, 2004 and 2006–2009 - Excel file: Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs › Total turnover of recycling of seven key recyclables in the EU, 2004 and 2006–2009
50 years of protecting Europe's environment: Today the European Union has the most environmentally friendly arsenal of rules in the world and has done more to tackle pressing ecological problems, such as climate change, than any other major power. But it has not always been like this. Caring for the environment did not feature in the Treaty of Rome, the document that gave birth to the modern day EU. Yet environmental problems were never far away. Europe’s love affair with the car was moving into top gear, industry was busy belching out pollutants and raw sewage was being pumped into our rivers and seas.
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