Towards a circular economy : waste management in the EU ; study

Abstract

This report examines the role of management in the context of a circular economy transition. Key challenges relate to moving beyond the perception of waste as a problem to waste as a resource. To this end high levels of cooperation are needed between the industry and enterprises engaged in circular economy business models. Collecting high quality streams for re-use, remanufacturing and recycling also requires citizen engagement and integrated infrastructure development from the municipal to the EU level. Ultimately, both prevention as well as a widespread growth in circular economy activities will require a coherent and holistic approach that takes recovery options into account at every stage of the product life cycle. Co-benefits will include reducing environmental burden as well as creating both high-skilled and low-skilled jobs for an inclusive, green economy. In concrete terms, this report examines five streams identified in the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan: municipal waste, packaging waste, food waste, bio-waste and critical raw materials. It looks at the current state of policy development, presents trends and data comparing Member State performance, reviews the state of technological development, and assesses employment opportunities relevant to each stream in the overarching context of assessing progress toward the circular economy transition in the EU. Case studies of specific options for collecting and treating based on experiences in Denmark, Italy and Slovenia complement the more macro-level analysis of trends. Finally, key policy options are identified, in particular focused on ways to prevent waste, align circular economy and management objectives and improve the quality and reliability of indicators toward more robust monitoring.