Sustainability

Waste

Waste issues are a top concern for the EEB. Unless we tackle these seriously and commit to radical improvements, the situation will only get worse.

The overall quantity of waste is increasing rapidly on worldwide scale. Each year in the European Union alone we throw away 1.3 billion tonnes of waste - some 40 million tonnes of it hazardous. This amounts to about 3.5 tonnes of solid waste for every man, woman and child.

Waste generation in the EU is still on the increase. The OECD estimates that by 2020 we could be generating 45% more waste than we did in 1995.

The negative impacts of waste are multiple. The spreading of hazardous substances contained in discarded goods present a high risk for human health and the environment. This spreading is due to poor collection of toxic waste and sometimes motivated by profit.

Waste generation is also a major contributor to air pollution and global warming; loss of biodiversity; and to pollution of water and soils.