Position of Slovak in EU from the View of Material Recovery of Waste in Circular Economy

Abstract

The constant growth in resource consumption is putting pressure on the environment. Most resources are non-renewable and, therefore, need to be managed sustainably. For this reason, increased attention is also being paid to their efficient use within the European Union. The European Union is addressing these aspects to maintain long-term competitiveness and ensure sustainable development in line with all the associated environmental impacts. One of the paths currently on offer is a gradual transition from a linear to a circular economy. A CE monitoring system based on a group of indicators has been introduced within the EU. In this paper, we analyse one of the key areas of the circular economy, material recovery of waste, focusing on municipal waste and its position in the EU and Slovak economy. Measure of circular waste reuse, Measure of municipal waste recycling, CW production per inhabitant, Measure of waste landfilling. By analysing the development of the indicators over the last 10 years, we have tried to realistically assess the achievability of the EU recycling and landfilling targets. The situation in Europe in this area is not optimistic since some EU countries will have a problem fulfilling the EU goals in waste management.