Publications

Managing municipal solid waste - a review of achievements in 32 European countries

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0100

Improved waste management is an essential element in efforts to make Europe more resource efficient. One key means of achieving that is by shifting waste management up the waste hierarchy. In recent years these important goals have been integrated into European environmental policy. But national efforts to shift up the waste hierarchy have been under way for longer. Together, these instruments establish a range of waste management targets and broader goals for the years to 2020.

Movements of waste across the EU's internal and external borders

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0100

This report presents movements of hazardous and certain non-hazardous wastes across borders between EU countries and to and from countries outside the EU. It analyses patterns of waste exports and imports and the driving forces behind them.

Material resources and waste — 2012 update

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:30:00 +0200

Update to the European Environment State and Outlook 2010 (SOER 2010) thematic assessment

EEA Signals 2012 – Building the future we want

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 09:00:00 +0200

Signals 2012 brings together environmental issues such as sustainability, green economy, water, waste, food, governance and knowledge sharing. It is prepared in the context of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development — Rio 2012. This year's Signals will give you a flavour of how consumers, forward-thinking businesses and policymakers can make a difference by combining new technological tools — from satellite observations to online platforms. It will also suggest creative and effective solutions to preserve the environment.

Earnings, jobs and innovation: the role of recycling in a green economy

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:05:00 +0100

This short report explains the role of recycling in the green economy and examines the evidence of its contribution in Europe, focusing primarily on the economic benefits that recycling offers.

Waste opportunities — Past and future climate benefits from better municipal waste management in Europe

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0200

Using a life-cycle perspective, this report analyses the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from municipal solid waste management in the EU, plus Norway and Switzerland. Three scenarios illustrate how waste management and associated GHG emissions might develop until 2020.

Material resources and waste — SOER 2010 thematic assessment

Adobe InDesign CS4 (6.0) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:40:00 +0100

The European economy needs huge amounts of resources to function. Apart from consuming minerals, metals, concrete and wood, Europe burns fossil fuels and uses land to satisfy the needs of its citizens. Demand for materials is so intense that between 20 and 30 % of the resources we use are now imported. At the other end of the materials chain, the EU economy generates around six tons of waste per person every year. With the boom in international trade, EU consumption and production may potentially damage ecosystems and human health not only within but also far beyond its borders.

Pilot fact sheets on national sustainable consumption and production policies

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:47:09 +0200

Taking stock of EU initiatives

European progress towards sustainable consumption and production (SCP)

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:40:50 +0200

A framework for indicator-based reporting

Diverting waste from landfill - Effectiveness of waste-management policies in the European Union

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:52:25 +0200

Issued in 1999, the Landfill Directive marked a decisive shift from landfill towards the EU's new waste hierarchy, which prioritises waste prevention, followed by re-use, recycling and recovery, and seeks to avoid landfilling wherever feasible. The Landfill Directive set targets for progressively reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled in the period to 2016. A decade on from the Landfill Directive's enactment seems a fitting time to review progress and extract key lessons for policy-makers in Europe and elsewhere. Through individual and comparative analyses of waste management in five countries and one sub-national region (Estonia, Finland, the Flemish Region of Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Italy), as well as an econometric analysis of the EU–25 Member States, this report seeks to answer a number of important questions, including: To what extent was waste management practice changed in the last decade? How much of the change was due to the Landfill Directive (and other EU instruments)? What measures and institutional arrangements did countries introduce? Which measures and arrangements proved most effective in different national and regional contexts?

Waste without borders in the EU? Transboundary shipments of waste

EEA/Krzysztof Wojcik — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:55:00 +0100

This report presents data on waste shipments within Europe and out of Europe (mainly EU countries are covered) for both so called notified waste (mostly hazardous and problematic waste) as well as for non-hazardous waste. It presents drivers for shipments but also gaps that still exist in our knowledge as regards some waste streams (such as e-waste) or what influence shipments have on the environment. It also presents some illegal shipments issues. A main conclusion is that more detailed reporting on waste shipments to the EU Commission would enable us to obtain a better understanding of shipments and their nature.

Time for action - towards sustainable consumption and production in Europe

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:00:00 +0100

Better management of municipal waste will reduce greenhouse gas emissions

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:00:00 +0100

The road from landfilling to recycling: common destination, different routes

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:00:00 +0200

Sustainable consumption and production in South East Europe and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia - Joint UNEP-EEA report on the opportunities and lessons learned

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 09:00:00 +0000