The EU has introduced new rules to discourage waste production and increase recycling in member states. The new measures are part of a longer-term plan to shift waste management away from landfill and incineration and towards re-use and recycling.

The new rules set out higher targets for reducing waste production than were originally envisaged in 2014 proposals. The new targets for recycling of municipal waste are 55% by 2025, increasing to 60% in 2030 and 65% in 2035.

Environment commissioner Karmenu Vella said she believed final approval from the European Council would be an important moment for the ‘circular economy,’ based on reuse and recycling, in Europe.

“The new recycling and landfilling targets set a credible and ambitious path for better waste management in Europe. Our main task now is to ensure that the promises enshrined in this waste package are delivered on the ground,” she said.

The new measures provide for more efficient use of economic instruments, such as ‘extended producer responsibility’ schemes, which make producers responsible for their products when they become waste. While establishing these schemes is already underway, they will become mandatory by 2024 under the new rules.

Get more information on the new rules HERE.