Fulfillment of EU Goals in the Field of Waste Management through Energy Recovery from Waste

Abstract

Is it really necessary for the more than 200 million tons of municipal waste produced by the EU to end up in landfills? Nowadays, there are many methods for using the raw materials and energy potential of waste in ways that are economical and environmentally acceptable. But first it is necessary to understand what waste is being produced, the possibilities for recycling, and the amount of waste deposited in landfills. Many studies show that, with the ever-increasing standard of living, which is accompanied by increasing consumption as well as increasing waste production, increasing separation of waste is a positive trend. However, it is essential to realize that many materials cannot be recycled indefinitely. Therefore, in our research, we focused on reducing the share of waste that goes into landfill with the goal of zero waste to landfill, so as to increase recycling and the amount of energy obtained from waste. We focused on the analysis of waste production in individual EU states, using the available data for the years 1995–2019. For a more detailed analysis, EU countries were evaluated in terms of individual waste management processes, according to available statistical data. We found that Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Austria put the least amount of waste into landfills, which means that they obtain the most energy and raw materials from waste.