keymessage-2015-02-03-4547180789

Guided by diverse policies, European countries have improved waste management. Manufacturing and service sector waste declined by about a quarter in 2004–2012, while municipal waste generation fell 2%. Along with increased recycling, these trends helped reduce landfilling. Nevertheless, progress to EU waste targets is mixed. Achieving the EU's long-term objective of establishing a circular economy will require far-reaching technological, behavioural and organisational change.