Maya Ellison
Europe's plastic waste problem is a complex issue, with varying disposal methods and rates of recycling across the continent. While some countries, like Austria and Germany, have robust recycling programs, others struggle to meet EU recycling targets. Plastic packaging accounts for a significant proportion of plastic production and waste, and despite recycling efforts, a large amount of plastic ends up in landfills or is incinerated, contributing to environmental pollution. With China's reduction in accepting the world's recyclable waste, Europe is facing new challenges in waste management and seeking innovative solutions to reduce, recycle, and reuse plastic waste.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Plastic waste in the EU | 30 million tonnes per year |
| Percentage of plastic waste exported outside the EU | 3% |
| Countries that export plastic waste outside the EU | Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium |
| Country with the highest plastic packaging use per capita | Hungary |
| Country with the lowest plastic packaging use per capita | Croatia |
| Percentage of plastic packaging waste recycled in Austria | One-third |
| Countries with the highest rates of separate textile collection | Luxembourg and Belgium |
| Countries following Luxembourg and Belgium in separate textile collection rates | The Netherlands and Austria |
| Amount of textile waste generated per person in the EU | 16kg |
| Percentage of textile waste recycled in Europe | 1% |
| Country most proactive in municipal recycling and composting | Germany |
| Countries following Germany in municipal recycling and composting | Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, and the UK |
| Plastic waste disposal methods | Incineration, landfill |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic waste incineration in Vienna
Vienna, Austria's capital city, has been consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world, with cleanliness and waste management as two of its top features. The city has a wide range of measures in place for waste prevention and management, including an incinerator, a waste-processing plant, and a composting system.
The city's incinerator, Spitellau, is an architecturally impressive building redesigned in 1992 by the eco-conscious artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The incinerator stands out for its eye-catching exterior and its essential function for the city. The facility is managed and operated by Wien Energie, which ensures the efficient processing of waste and the recovery of valuable byproducts. The incinerator helps power the city's heating and cooling systems, providing heat for over 60,000 local households in a year. This process involves burning solid waste in a controlled environment, similar to an oven, to reduce waste volume and weight. While incineration produces toxic fumes, the incinerator filters are efficient at detoxifying emissions, making it an improvement over landfills. However, it is not carbon-neutral, and some critics argue that it encourages a relaxation of recycling practices.
Vienna's waste management system is integral to its circular economy, turning unavoidable waste into valuable secondary raw materials. The city's "Rinterzelt" waste-processing plant is one of the world's largest and most innovative, recognised as one of its best modern landmarks. The plant treats waste as a commodity, employing state-of-the-art technologies to minimise environmental impact and maximise energy recovery. This system supports the city's goal of net-zero emissions, with Vienna's waste management saving more CO2 than it emits.
In addition to incineration and waste processing, Vienna also produces compost, called "Guter Grund," from organic waste collected in the city's bins. The city's waste management department, MA 48, brings up to 200 trucks, or around 700 tonnes, of trash into the facility daily, contributing to around 250,000 tonnes of trash annually.
Overall, Vienna's waste incineration and management systems showcase a comprehensive approach to dealing with plastic waste and other trash, contributing to the city's cleanliness and sustainability goals.
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Plastic packaging waste in Austria
Plastic waste is a pressing issue in Europe, with China's decision to drastically reduce the amount of the world's recyclable waste it accepts in 2017 forcing European countries to re-evaluate their waste disposal strategies. Austria is no exception to this, with plastic packaging constituting a significant portion of its plastic waste.
Austria has been investing in innovative research and studies on plastics to meet the EU's Circular Economy Package targets and prepare for the implementation of the EU Plastics Strategy. According to a 2018 study, Austria has over 35 installations for sorting waste plastics and more than 34 plastic recycling installations. However, the recycling rate for plastic packaging waste in Austria is low. Out of 41,400 tons of consumed PET bottles in 2019 (15% of plastic packaging waste), 78% were collected in dedicated containers, but only two-thirds of those collected were recycled. If all plastic packaging waste is considered, the recycling rate was only 25.3% in 2018, far below the EU's target rate of 50% by the end of 2025.
Austria's capital, Vienna, has separate bins for paper, general waste, and often organic waste, with recycling bins for glass, metal, and plastic packaging on street corners. However, a CGTN Europe correspondent based in the city noted that "most" of the waste in his trash can was plastic, especially packaging material from online deliveries. This is a common issue in Austria, where, according to EU statistics, only one-third of plastic packaging waste is recycled.
Austria's plastic waste is not sent to landfills but is instead incinerated, with the energy recovered used to power Vienna's heating and cooling systems. However, incineration produces toxic fumes and roughly twice the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as recycling. It also destroys the synthetic hydrocarbons that plastics are made of, which are predominantly produced from non-renewable resources.
To improve plastic packaging waste recycling rates, Austria needs to enhance its separate collection systems, especially in urban areas, which currently have the lowest separate collection rates. Modelling of optimized collection systems in all Austrian regions could lead to a theoretical total separation collection rate of 74%. Additionally, the country should address the inefficiencies in its post-collection processes, as the gap between collection and recycling rates for plastic packaging waste is significant.
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Plastic waste exports from the EU
Plastic waste disposal is a complex problem in Europe, and it has become even more pressing since China—previously the recipient of much of the world's recyclable waste—severely cut down on the amount of plastic waste it imported in 2017. This forced European countries to reassess their waste disposal strategies.
In 2019, about 22 million tonnes of plastic ended up in soils, rivers, and oceans, and plastic leakage is projected to double by 2060. That same year, plastics generated 1.8 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, with 90% of these emissions coming from their production and conversion from fossil fuels. By 2060, emissions from the plastics lifecycle are expected to more than double, reaching 4.3 billion tonnes.
While EU countries have been recycling more plastic waste, they also generate more of it. Each person living in the EU generated 36.1 kilos of plastic packaging waste on average in 2021. The volume of plastic packaging waste generated per inhabitant increased by about 29% between 2010 and 2021. The total plastic waste produced in the EU in 2021 was 16.13 million tonnes, of which 6.56 million tonnes were recycled.
According to a report by CleanHub, a waste management company, seven of the top ten countries that export and import the most plastic waste annually are European. CleanHub found that the top 10 exporting countries are all high-income, developed nations, and that these countries export more than 4.4 million tonnes of plastic waste per year, accounting for 71% of all plastic waste exports. The report also claims that exporting plastic waste has become a cheaper alternative to properly processing it, allowing countries to keep their carbon and plastic footprints low while maintaining the impression that they are progressing towards their net-zero targets. However, the exported waste is often burned or dumped illegally. Germany, Japan, and the UK are the top three plastic waste-exporting countries, while the Netherlands, Turkey, and Germany are the top three importers.
In February 2024, the European Parliament approved stricter requirements for waste shipments outside the EU, prohibiting plastic waste exports to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The EU announced a ban on plastic waste shipments from the EU to non-OECD countries in late 2023, which will come into force in 2026.
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Plastic waste recycling targets in the EU
Plastic waste is a pressing issue in the EU, with the average EU citizen generating 36.1 kg of plastic packaging waste in 2021. The EU has implemented measures to tackle this issue, but it is a complex problem that requires further action.
In June 2019, the EU adopted new rules to address plastic marine litter. These rules include specific targets for reducing plastic packaging waste. For example, by 2025, recycled content in plastic bottles should reach 25%, increasing to 30% by 2030. The rules also outline a ban on certain single-use plastic packaging types by 1 January 2030 and a requirement to separately collect 90% of single-use plastic and metal beverage containers by 2029. The EU's Green Deal aims for 55% of plastic packaging waste to be recycled by 2030, which will necessitate improved design for recyclability and measures to stimulate the market for recycled plastic.
The EU is attempting to find circular and climate-friendly solutions for plastic waste management. However, the current primary method of disposing of plastic waste in Europe is energy recovery through incineration, which produces toxic fumes and is not carbon-neutral. Recycling is the second most common approach, but half of the plastic collected for recycling is exported outside the EU due to limitations in capacity, technology, and financial resources.
Some EU member states are at risk of missing the 2025 recycling targets for municipal waste and packaging waste. The main challenges are the complex nature of processing mixed plastic waste and the lack of mature infrastructure and markets for it. However, many member states have implemented improved policies and measures, such as separate collection systems, new bio-waste treatment capacities, and pay-as-you-throw schemes to encourage sorting at the source.
To meet the recycling targets, it is crucial to enhance the effectiveness of separate collection systems for plastics and address the issues of quality and price associated with recycled plastic products.
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Plastic waste collection in Czechia
Plastic waste collection in the Czech Republic, or Czechia, is a complex issue. While the country has made efforts to improve its waste management systems, it is still falling short of EU goals for plastic recycling. According to government data, Czechs threw over 264,000 tons of plastics into recycling bins in 2020, but it is estimated that only 20% of plastic bottles sorted for recycling actually end up in recycling centres.
In Czechia, there are several ways to sort plastic waste at home. Colourful recycling bins are available at sorting hubs, with different colours designated for different types of materials. Another method is individual collection, where people use special coloured bags provided to sort their household waste. Large containers are also provided by local authorities for the collection of specific types of waste on certain days and times, such as Iron Sundays for waste made of iron.
The Czech Republic's main recycling firm, EKO-KOM, holds a monopoly on collecting the contents of recycling bins. However, the fees they charge are reportedly only enough to cover collection and basic sorting. As a result, much of the country's plastic waste is burned or buried, leading to EU fines for Czechia. The European directive on waste management aims to increase recycling rates and improve the efficiency of recycling efforts.
To address the issue of plastic waste, Czechia is considering introducing a deposit system for PET bottles and metal drinks cans from 2026. This has proven successful in neighbouring Slovakia, which saw an increase in the proportion of plastic bottles recycled from 60 to 92% within two years of implementing the system. Additionally, the country has established collection points for other types of waste, such as textiles and electronic appliances, to improve proper disposal and recycling.
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Frequently asked questions
There are differences in trash disposal across Europe, but generally, plastic waste is either recycled, incinerated, or sent to landfills. Each option has its own pros and cons. For example, incineration produces toxic fumes, but it is argued to be better than landfills and can be used to power heating and cooling systems, as seen in Vienna.
Germany is the most proactive country in Europe when it comes to municipal recycling and composting, followed by Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, and the UK. These countries have implemented various initiatives to reduce, recycle, and reuse plastic waste.
Europeans can improve plastic waste management by reducing plastic consumption, particularly single-use plastics and plastic packaging. Additionally, proper separation and collection of plastic waste for recycling are crucial. Some countries, like Czechia, are making recycling compulsory and establishing collection points for specific waste streams like textiles, batteries, and electrical waste.
