New figures on waste prevention in Europe

The amount of waste generated in the EU has increased since 2010, but not at the same rate as the economy. This is according to a new report from the European Environment Agency, to which IVL contributed. Although there has been a slight decoupling from economic growth, the biggest reductions in waste amounts were mainly the result of factors such as the coronavirus pandemic and climate policy instruments, rather than specific waste prevention measures.

Every two years, the European Environment Agency reports on waste prevention measures implemented by EU countries. This report summarizes trends in waste generation as well as progress in decoupling waste from economic growth and in promoting a circular economy.

While the reduction of incineration waste is closely linked to the decrease in the use of fossil fuels, the decoupling is most evident in the manufacturing and service industries. In contrast, waste generation continues in other sectors.

The report shows that the measures in countries' waste prevention programmes are still predominantly based on voluntary initiatives, agreements and information campaigns. These account for more than 80 per cent of all measures.

Although a strong link between waste generation and economic growth still exists, market-based instruments, such as reduced VAT on repair or reuse, remain underutilized, accounting for only six per cent of policy instruments. For example, reductions in incineration waste have been driven by climate policy rather than specific waste prevention measures. Strengthening economic incentives would likely increase the effectiveness of waste prevention efforts, says Jurate Miliute-Plepiene, researcher at IVL, who contributed to the report.

This year's report pays particular attention to food waste, in order to provide an in-depth analysis of progress and challenges in this area. On average, 132 kg of food per person were discarded in the EU in 2022, which equals more than 59 million tonnes of food waste. The environmental and economic consequences are significant.

Reliable data is crucial for monitoring developments and designing effective measures against food waste, says IVL researcher Elisabeth Pernmyr, who helped to evaluate food waste initiatives for the report.

The report is part of the work of the European Topic Centre on Circular Economy and Resource Use (ETC CE), of which IVL is a partner organization.

Read more in the report: Preventing waste in Europe – Progress and challenges, with a focus on food waste External link, opens in new window.

For more information, contact:
Elisabeth Pernmyr, elisabeth.pernmyr@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 67 46
Jurate Miliute-Plepiene, jurate.miliute@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 67 20