Diversion of waste from landfill

The overall landfill rate — waste sent to landfill as a proportion of waste generated — decreased from 23% to 20% between 2010 and 2018. However, the rates vary depending on the waste category. For example, the proportion of household and similar waste disposed of in landfill decreased by 51% during this period. However, for combustion waste, the rate increased by 16% and for sorting residues (mainly secondary wastes from waste treatment facilities) by 111%, due to the expansion of combustion capacity in the EU, tighter conditions for the material utilisation of combustion residues and the development of the waste sorting sector to enable a shift from landfill to the material recovery of waste.

The EU’s approach to waste management is based on the waste hierarchy, which prioritises the prevention of waste followed by preparation for reuse, recycling, other recovery and then disposal, including to landfill. This final option is the least desirable and should be used only if absolutely necessary. Overall, the generation of waste has increased in the EU in recent years, posing challenges for waste management and potentially undermining the EU’s objective of reducing its reliance on landfill. However, between 2010 and 2018, the total quantity of waste sent to landfill decreased by 7.6%, from 173 million tonnes to 160 million tonnes.