Reaching the 2030 residual municipal waste target (Indicator)

The EU’s approach to waste management is based on the waste hierarchy, which prioritises waste prevention as the way to reduce the most the negative environmental impacts of waste management. Where prevention is not possible, the hierarchy prefers strategies that maintain the value of products and materials for longer, such as reuse, recycling or other types of recovery.

Residual waste is waste that is neither recycled nor reused. It includes waste material not collected separately for recycling, composting or digestion, and residues from sorting processes. The Zero Pollution Action Plan (ZPAP), in line with the 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan, includes the target of halving the EU’s residual municipal waste by 2030.

Figure shows that between 2004 and 2022, residual municipal waste decreased by 16%, reaching a plateau from 2015. The decrease can be attributed to increased recycling, which has been steadily increasing until 2021. However, considering the projection of municipal waste generation, which is expected to continue increasing, the EU is unlikely to achieve 50% residual waste reduction by 2030. This is even if all Member States meet the recycling target outlined in the EU Waste Framework Directive, which requires 60% of municipal waste to be prepared for reuse or recycled by 2030.

Meeting the 50% target would require significant efforts to prevent municipal waste generation and achieve recycling rates higher than current EU objectives. According to the EEA (2022), Member States are already struggling to meet the municipal waste recycling targets, so preventing residual waste should be a priority. EEA (2022) shows that if the 60% recycling target is met, reducing municipal waste generation by one-third would make it possible to meet the 50% residual waste target by 2030.

Please consult the relevant indicators and signals below for a more comprehensive overview on the topic.