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Assessing the potential to enhance the circularity of bio-based waste
December 2025
The study maps major biobased waste streams across Europe and, despite data gaps and inconsistent reporting, identifies substantial untapped circularity potential. This includes over 58 Mt of food, garden and vegetable waste and 26 Mt of wood waste (wet weight), as well as 75 Mt of crop residues (dry weight), that could be used for new biobased materials or other products, excluding bioenergy. Better separate collection and development of high-value recovery pathways could reduce environmental pressures, greenhouse gas emissions and import dependence, though technological feasibility and scalability remain uncertain.