Climate protection: Several EU countries must recycle better, warns the EU Environment Agency

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Packaging such as this one in the yellow bin is to be recycled more frequently throughout the EU

Photo: Michael Gstettenbauer / IMAGO

A large proportion of EU Member States could miss the targets for recycling waste and packaging waste. This is what the European Environment Agency EEA writes in an analysis. According to the report, 18 of the 27 countries are at risk of breaking at least one of the targets for 2025.

Producing less waste and recycling the resulting waste is considered one of the essential cornerstones of European efforts to build a circular economy. Recycling targets have been set across the EU for 2025, 2030 and 2035. Among other things, from 2025 onwards, at least 55 percent of so-called municipal waste, i.e. waste from private households, must be recycled and prepared for reuse.

Likewise, 65 percent of all packaging waste must be recycled. Specific targets apply to certain materials: 75 percent of paper and cardboard are to be recycled, 70 percent of glass and ferrous metals, and half of plastics and aluminum.

Nine countries on the right track

According to the EAA, Germany has been doing comparatively well so far: According to the EEA, the Federal Republic of Germany is one of the nine countries that are on the way to meeting the essential objectives or have already fulfilled some of them. This group also includes Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia and the Czech Republic.

The EEA analysis serves as the basis for an early warning report that the EU Commission plans to present on Thursday. According to the EEA, the report aims to improve the implementation of EU waste legislation and support states that are at risk of missing targets. Many EU states would have to significantly increase their efforts in this regard, the EU authority demanded.

kko/dpa-AFX