Waste prevention

An important element in circular economies is waste reduction and waste management. Yet waste prevention is the most desirable option. The success of the EU moving towards a green economy thus rests to a large extent on conducting research and giving priority to monitoring and choosing adapted solutions to achieve a sustainable production avoiding food losses and pollution. EU open data on waste management is beneficial to optimise existing techniques and mechanisms by using the information different EU institutions and agencies have stored. SMEs can use it to enhance their waste models to move through the path of a circular economy hand in hand with EU principles, innovation and resources. Waste prevention will contribute to the efforts made to comply with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Agenda 2030. Production patterns need to move towards a responsible and circular model (SDG 12) to protect Life on land (SDG 15) and as a way of reducing climate change negative impacts (SDG 13).

The map below allows for a quick overview of the amount of waste produced per country per year. Moreover, the interactive map also gives access to the most recent reports on waste reduction and resource efficiency, which are available by clicking on the country of interest. These reports are based on a revision of existing national and regional waste prevention programmes, and information on resource efficiency, circular economy and raw material supply policies.

For more information on the general progress made towards waste prevention in the EU, take a look at the Annual reviews from the European Environmental Agency (EEA). More details on waste reduction on the agriculture sector might be found here at the Technical Platform on the Measurement and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The database includes data and information on food losses and waste from different countries (including EU member states), at all stages of the value chain and across food products.

Dataset: EEA, Eurostat, EU Publications Office.

REPORTS

  • Food redistribution in the EU (2020)

    Food waste is a global issue that the EU is trying to tackle. A good climate governance not only has environmental benefits, but it can also have economic and social advantages. Look at this report for more information on existing regulatory and policy measures impacting food redistribution.

    Source: Publications Office of the EU

  • Biodegradable and composable plastics – challenges and opportunities (2020)

    Plastics are a common material nowadays. This report explains the difference between bio-based, compostable and biodegradable. Since plastics pollute during their whole life-cycle, it is interesting to see the differences among types of plastics to improve our understanding of their impacts on nature.

    Source: European Environment Agency

  • Bio-waste in Europe – turning challenges into opportunities (2020)

    Bio-waste generation, prevention, collection and treatment have interesting opportunities to turn existing challenges into benefits (of moving towards a circular economy). This report explains the relevance of bio-waste and a quality management of compost and digestate. A section is dedicated to innovation and future related developments in Europe.

    Source: European Environment Agency

  • Recommendations for Action in Food Waste Prevention (2019)

    The EU is committed to meeting the SDG Target 12.3 on food loss and waste. This report is the result of a thorough consultation process by the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste to suggest interesting recommendations focused on the different stages of the food value chain and thus involving different actors. To find out more about these recommendations, click here.

    Source: EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste

  • Estimates of European food waste levels (2016)

    Food waste is a global issue to global food security and climate governance. The EU has been collecting data about European food waste levels so as to find adequate measures and solutions to reduce waste and its associated environmental, economic and social costs. If the EU wants to move towards a resource efficient Europe, further actions are needed. This report combines existing data to obtain an informed picture of the amount and costs of food waste within the EU.

    Source: FUSIONS EU PROJECT

NETWORKS

The EU has committed to implement the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG 17, i.e. partnerships for the goals, requires effective multilateralism – to revitalise the connections among different types of stakeholders – and cooperation. The EU and different organisations within the EU have made a tremendous effort to keep updated about waste prevention initiatives and actions. Several existing platforms try to bring together different types of stakeholders in order to inspire citizens, companies and EU institutions to strengthen existing efforts on waste prevention and sustainable practices. This section of the website tries to provide a space to find interesting links to platforms, networks and projects with a participative approach within the EU. More interested parties and projects might be found in the CORDIS website.

  • EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste

    Informs every month about the most recent EU actions to prevent waste and shares best practices and progress. All interested stakeholders have the opportunity to participate on the definition of waste prevention measures, particularly on food waste. Click here to subscribe to the Newsletter of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste.

  • European Compost Network

    The ECN is in line with the Circular Economy Package adopted by the EU to move towards a greener Europe. The ECN gives you access to different policy-related information and several publications regarding (bio-)waste management, circular bioeconomy benefits, country reports and position papers. Click here to become a Member (no need to become a member to have access to certain documents).

  • Circular Agronomics

    Circular Agronomics is a project which receives funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. It tries to find circular solutions regarding resource efficiency and eco-innovation, particularly for carbon and nutrient management. Publications and case studies can be found on their website.

  • No Agricultural Waste

    NoAW is a project funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation to find solutions to bring the agriculture sector in the direction of a zero-waste economy. NoAW applies innovative approaches on territorial and seasonal scales to continuously and efficiently reduce negative impacts on water, air and soil.

  • European Week for Waste Reduction

    The EWWR is a platform where EU citizens have a voice about sustainable resource and waste management. Every year, a different thematic focus is chosen and the one for the year 2020 is Invisible waste. Please, register here to take action or go to the EWWR website to find out more about the topics from previous years. For the 2020 edition, registration is open from the 1st of September to the 13th of November.

  • Zero Waste Europe

    The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for projects aimed at tackling climate change and protect the environment. Part of the budget is spent on agricultural waste reduction and management. A list of the most recent projects can be found here.

  • LIFE Programme

    The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for projects aimed at tackling climate change and protect the environment. Part of the budget is spent on agricultural waste reduction and management. A list of the most recent projects can be found here.