Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on future steps in bio-waste management in the European Union {SEC(2010) 577}
Date: 2010-05-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy, environmental law, prevention of pollution, waste management, waste recycling

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 18.5.2010 
COM(2010)235 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

on future steps in bio-waste management in the European Union 

{SEC(2010) 577} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

on future steps in bio-waste management in the European Union 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Bio-waste as defined in the revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD)1 includes garden and 
park waste, food and kitchen waste from households, restaurants, caterers and retail premises 
as  well  as  comparable  waste  from  food  processing  plants.  It  does  not  cover  forestry  or 
agricultural residue and it should not be confused with the wider term "biodegradable waste" 
which  includes  also  other  biodegradable  materials  such  as  wood,  paper,  cardboard,  sewage 
sludge. 

In the EU between 118 and 138 million tonnes of bio-waste are produced every year, of which 
about 88 million tonnes is municipal waste. It is projected to increase on average by 10% by 
2020. 

Presently, a variety of approaches are applied by EU Member States2 : 

–  Countries relying heavily on incineration of waste diverted from landfills, accompanied by 
a  high  level  of  material  recovery  and  often  advanced  strategies  promoting  biological 
treatment of waste; 

–  Countries with high material recovery rates but relatively little incineration, with some of 

the highest composting rates in the EU; 

–  Countries  relying  on  landfills,  where  diversion  of  waste  from  landfills  remains  a  major 

challenge due to lack of alternatives. 

On the EU average 40% of bio-waste is still landfilled (up to 100% in some Member States). 
However, landfilling (1) invokes major environmental risks such as emissions of greenhouse 
gases and pollution of soil and groundwater and, (2) withdraws valuable resources (compost, 
energy) irrevocably  from economic and natural cycles. It thus violates  guiding  principles  of 
EU waste and sustainable resource management policy, notably the “waste hierarchy” which 
should underlie all national waste policies. 

2. 

EU LEGISLATION RELATED TO BIO-WASTE 

The  management  of  bio-waste  is  covered  by  several  pieces  of  EU  legislation.  The  WFD 
requires Member States to develop waste management policies that protect the environmental 
and human health and ensure a sustainable use of natural resources. Member States are thus 
legally  bound  to  optimize  the  treatment  of  bio-waste  according  to  their  specific  conditions. 

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2008/98/EC  
EEA Report (7/2009) - Diverting waste from landfill 

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Article  4  on  the  “waste  hierarchy”  states  that  the  prevention  of  waste  is  the  best  option, 
followed  by  re-use,  recycling  and  energy  recovery.  Disposal  (landfilling,  incineration  with 
low  energy  recovery)  is  defined  as  the  worst  environmental  option.  Member  States  may 
depart  from  this  hierarchy  where  for  specific  waste  streams  this  is  justified  by  life  cycle 
thinking on the overall impacts of such waste. 

The WFD encourages Member States to separately collect and recycle bio-waste and allows 
to include it when calculating the binding recycling target for municipal waste. Furthermore, 
the  WFD  enables  the  setting  of  EU  minimum  requirements  for  bio-waste  management  and 
criteria for the quality of compost from bio-waste, including requirements on the origin of the 
waste and treatment processes. Such criteria have been called for to enhance user confidence 
and strengthen the market in support of a material efficient economy.  

The WFD also sets energy efficiency levels below which the incineration of municipal solid 
waste may not be regarded as recovery. It thus could discourage the incineration of bio-waste 
with low calorific value.  

The  Landfill  Directive3  requires  Member  States  to  progressively  reduce  landfilling  of 
municipal  biodegradable  waste  to  35%  by  2016  (compared  to  1995).  Member  States  which 
relied heavily on landfilling in 1995 have a four year extension period4. The objective of these 
measures is to reduce the production and release of greenhouse gases from landfills.  

However, the Landfill Directive does not prescribe specific treatment options for the diverted 
waste.  In  practice,  Member  States  are  often  inclined  to  choose  the  seemingly  easiest  and 
cheapest  option  disregarding  actual  environmental  benefits  and  costs.  This  has  triggered  a 
long standing discussion on the possible need for supplementary regulation. 

3. 

CONTEXT OF THE COMMUNICATION  

In  2002,  the  Sixth  Environment  Action  Programme5  called  for  EU  legislation  on 
biodegradable wastes. In 2005 the Thematic Strategy on Waste6 proposed to replace specific 
bio-waste  legislation  with  a  set  of  actions  addressing  individual  issues  of  bio-waste 
management. More recently the WFD required the Commission to carry out an assessment on 
the  management  of  bio-waste  with  a  view  to  submitting  a  proposal  if  appropriate.  The 
analysis prepared by the Commission forms the basis for this Communication. 

As  a  contribution  to  its  analysis  the  Commission  has  carried  out  a  broad  stakeholder 
consultation,  including  the  issuing  of  a  Green  Paper7.  A  first  round  of  consultation  on  the 
Green  Paper  ended  mid-March  2009.  Stakeholders  were  asked  their  views  on  policy  and 
technology options and expected future developments in bio-waste management. Almost 150 
comments were received and made public on a specific CIRCA website8.  

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1999/31/EC  
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, 
Romania, Slovakia, UK 
Decision 1600/2002/EC  
COM(2005) 666 final 
COM(2008) 811 final 
http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/env/biowaste_prop/home  

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On  9-10  July  2009,  the  Commission  together  with  three  Member  States  co-organised  a 
conference  which  gave  stakeholders  an  opportunity  to  further  comment.  Around  200 
participants attended9. On 25 June 2009, the Environment Council adopted its conclusions on 
the  Commission's  Green  Paper10.  Expressing  concerns  about  the  increasing  volume  of  bio-
waste and related environmental impacts and agreeing that improved bio-waste management 
could  contribute  to  fighting  climate  change,  help  to  improve  soil  quality  (composting)  and 
reaching targets for renewable energy (biogas) the Council urged the Commission to take into 
account  local  conditions  when  weighing  up  policy  options.  It  invited  the  Commission  to 
present  an  EU  legislative  proposal  on  biodegradable  waste  by  2010,  if  appropriate.  A  draft 
report of the European Parliament in response to the Green Paper is under discussion. 

Additional stakeholder consultations in May-June and October 2009 allowed stakeholders to 
verify and comment on scenarios developed for the Commission's analysis. They confirmed a 
wide consensus on the economic and environmental opportunities linked to better bio-waste 
management  but  revealed  a  wide  disparity  of  opinions  on  the  need  for  EU  legislative 
initiatives. 

4. 

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES 

This Communication explains the steps considered necessary by the Commission at this stage 
for optimizing the management of bio-waste. In particular, the Communication:  

–  draws conclusions from the Commission's analysis ; 

–  lays out recommendations on the way forward to reap the full benefits of proper bio-waste 

management; 

–  describes  the  main  potential  courses  of  action  at  EU  and  national  level  and  how  to 

implement them best. 

5. 

IMPROVED MANAGEMENT OF BIO-WASTE - AN UNTAPPED POTENTIAL 

The  following  benefits  could  be  reached  if  recycling  and  recovery  of  bio-waste  are 
maximized: 

–  Financial  savings  for  citizens  (for  example,  one  third  of  food  bought  by  UK  households 
(approximate  value  of  €19  billions)  becomes  waste.  Up  to  60%  of  this  waste  could 
theoretically be avoided.11. 

–  Avoiding  about  10  million  tonnes  CO2-equivalent  emissions,  i.e.  a  4%  contribution  to  the 
2020 EU target of 10% reduction compared to 2005 emissions for the sectors not covered 
by the Emission Trading Scheme. In case of ambitious prevention policies up to 44 million 
tonnes CO2-equivalent could be avoided12; 

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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/eventspast/biowaste.htm 
2953rd Environment Council, document: 11462/09 
"The Food We Waste" report for the WRAP (UK). April 2008 
Mostly from avoided emission related to food production and transport 

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–  About one-third of the 2020 EU target to use renewable energy in transport13 could be met 
by using the biogas produced from bio-waste as vehicle fuel and around 2% of the overall 
renewable energy target could be met if all bio-waste is turned into energy.  

–  Increased market for quality compost by a factor of 2.6 to reach about 28 million tonnes14; 

–  Resource savings by substituting 10% of phosphate fertilizers, 9% of potassium fertilizers 

and 8% of lime fertilizers15 with compost; 

–  Improving 3% to 7% of depleted agricultural soils in the EU with compost and addressing 

the problem of degrading soil quality in Europe16. 

–  These  estimates  cannot  be  added  up,  as  for  a  part  they  concern  alternative  solutions. 
However, there are also synergies: for example anaerobic digestion can contribute to CO2 
and  biofuels  targets  and  to  soil  improvement  if  digestate  is  used  on  soil.  The  benefits 
demonstrate  a  considerable  potential  that  can  help  to  meet  environmental  objectives,  in 
particular where they are the most cost-effective solution. 

6. 

MAIN FINDINGS OF THE COMMISSION'S ANALYSIS 

Policy  options  discussed  in  this  Communication  relate  to  a  baseline  scenario  which  is 
assuming  that  legislation  already  in  force,  and  in  particular  the  Landfill  Directive  is  fully 
implemented  but  that  no  additional  initiatives  are  taken  in  the  next  20  years.  They  are 
therefore  focusing  on  the  costs  and  benefits  of  additional  measures,  including  a  better 
application of the waste hierarchy of the WFD.  

The analysis confirmed significant and cost-efficient opportunities. It revealed no policy gaps 
at EU level that could prevent Member States from taking appropriate action but showed that 
additional supporting action at EU level, together with more incentives at national level and a 
proper application of the waste hierarchy, would be of value in creating significant economic 
and environmental advantages for the whole EU. 

The  most  significant  benefits  of  improved  bio-waste  management  would  be  avoided 
emissions  of  greenhouse  gases,  which  would  translate  into  significant  societal  gains  when 
compared to any additional costs. At the same time, production of good quality compost and 
bio-gas would contribute to enhanced soil quality and resource efficiency, as well as a higher 
level of self-sufficiency of energy. 

Aligning the management of bio-waste better with the waste hierarchy and other provisions of 
the  WFD  could  result  in  environmental  and  financial  benefits  of  €1.5  billion  (moderate 
increases  of  recycling)  to  €7  billion  (a mbitious  recycling  and  prevention  policies)17. 
Combining moderately ambitious recycling and prevention policies would result in savings of 
ste  prevention).  About  34  million  tonnes  CO2 
€5.5  billion  (out  of  €4.1  billion  due  to  wa

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As outlined in Art 3(4) and Art 21(2) of Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy 
from renewable sources 
ORBIT/ECN, “Compost production and use in the EU”, 2008 
ibid. 
Around 45% of EU soils lack humus 
total benefits for EU-27 for the period 2013-2020 – calculated from actions beyond implementation of 
existing legislation. 

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equivalent could be saved (80-90% due to prevention). It would also create stronger markets 
for compost and bio-gas and direct financial benefits for EU households by preventing food 
waste.18 

7. 

PRIORITY  ACTIONS  TO  OPTIMISE  BIO-WASTE  MANAGEMENT  IN  THE  EU  -  
WHAT  SHOULD  BE  DONE  IN  ADDITION  TO  IMPLEMENTING  THE  LANDFILL 
DIRECTIVE 

The initiatives  outlined  in this  section are designed  to  promote best possible use of  existing 
legislation,  leaving  Member  States  a  wide  margin  of  discretion  in  choosing  the  avenues  of 
action that are best suited for their respective circumstances. 

7.1. 

Initiatives at EU level 

While a large number of possibilities exist already for Member States to improve bio-waste 
management,  supporting  initiatives  at  EU  level  will  be  crucial  for  accelerating  the  progress 
and ensuring a level playing field across the Union. Accordingly, the Commission is intending 
to take the following steps: 

7.1.1.  Prevention of bio-waste 

Under the WFD, Member States are obliged to develop national waste management plans in 
line  with  the  waste  hierarchy.  In  addition  they  have  to  develop  national  waste  prevention 
plans  not  later  than  end  2013  with  benchmarks  that  make  progress  measurable.  Including 
national  bio-waste  prevention  targets  in  these  programmes  could  be  a  powerful  additional 
measure.  

In  the  vast  majority  of  Member  States,  no  clear  and  measurable  steps  to  increase  bio-waste 
prevention  have  been  taken.  This  is  partly  due  to  the  lack  of  clear  guidance  including 
measurable quantitative targets but also largely due to the sensitivity of what it is negatively 
perceived  as  limiting  consumers'  choices.  Due  to  uncertainties  regarding  different  national 
circumstances,  the  impacts  of  binding  EU  prevention  targets  cannot  yet  be  assessed. 
Nevertheless, indicators for prevention measures could be adopted by Comitology under the 
WFD in support of Member States' measures.  

In  addition,  the  Commission  could  provide  further  support  for  the  widest  up-take  of  best 
practice. It envisages proposing under the Comitology procedure, specific guidance on bio-
waste  prevention  for  national  waste  prevention  plans  and  to  continue  working  towards 
proposing a set of indicators to assess the appropriateness of setting in the future waste 
prevention  targets  at  EU  level.  These  actions  should  provide  the  necessary  incentive  for 
moving to more prevention while ensuring the respect of the subsidiarity principles.  

7.1.2.  Treatment of Bio-waste 

For bio-waste that cannot be prevented, Member States should choose the best management 
options in view of their specific conditions (e.g. population density, demand for compost or 
energy etc). A number of Member States have already reduced or are expected to dramatically 
reduce  landfilling  of  bio-waste  and  to  increase  its  biological  treatment.  It  is  however 

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see Annex (8.3) 

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improbable  that  without  further  incentives  the  less  advanced  Member  States  will  in  the 
foreseeable  future  take  significant  steps  towards  composting  and  bio-gas  production.  More 
likely,  they  will  continue  choosing  the  seemingly  easiest  options,  disregarding  overall 
environmental  benefits  and  costs.  This  explains  why  some  Member  States  and  stakeholders 
continued to call for EU action in this area. 

The cost/benefit analysis detailed in the Annex shows that at societal level and for the whole 
EU, the potential benefits appear to be significant. However, due to the different conditions in 
Member  States,  further  work  is  needed  notably  from  the  subsidiarity  perspective  before 
considering whether to propose an EU target for biological treatment. The Commission will 
continue its analysis with a view to conclude on the appropriateness of setting targets by 2014 
at the latest under the WFD. It is likely that a target for biological treatment would have to go 
hand-in-hand  with  enhanced  separate  collection  to  ensure  good  quality  of  compost  and 
digestate.  

Choices  between  centralised  or  de-centralised  composting,  energy  production  by  digestion 
and  various  ways  of  using  the  energy  produced  -  transport,  electricity,  heat  production  will 
depend on local conditions (energy mix, possible synergies with other policies) and should be 
left to Member States.  

The  proposed  Directive  on  Industrial  Emissions19  aimed  to  replace  the  current  IPPC 
Directive20,  is  laying  down  the  main  principles  for  the  permitting  and  control  of  larger  bio-
waste treatment installations (above a capacity of 50 tonnes per day). Regulation on bio-waste 
could  complement,  but  should  not  affect  health  rules  for  the  collection  and  treatment  of 
Animal By-Products.21  

7.1.3.  Protecting EU soils 

Compost and digestate from bio-waste are under-used materials. While offering an excellent 
contribution  to  EU  resource  efficiency  and  to  the  improvement  of  carbon-depleted  soils,  in 
many Member States demand suffers from a lack of end-user confidence.  

To address this concern, the use of these materials should be regulated in such a way that no 
adverse effects are generated on soils.  

Standards for compost and digestate should be established to enable their free circulation on 
the internal market and to allow using them without further monitoring and control of the soils 
on  which  they  are  used.  The  "end  of  waste"  procedure  under  the  WFD  could  be  the  most 
efficient  way  of  setting  such  standards.  The  Commission  is  starting  work  to  assess  the 
technical basis for a possible proposal22.  

It  is  expected  that  not  all  biologically  treated  bio-waste  will  comply  with  the  "product" 
standards.  Nevertheless,  those  materials  could  offer  a  valuable  contribution  to  carbon-
depleted soils if applied in a safe manner. Full harmonisation across the EU for this purpose 
would not be feasible in view of different local conditions (e.g. soil quality and needs) but EU 
minimum rules should be set as "safety net" against unsafe use.  

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COM(2007) 843 final  
96/61/EC 
(EC) No. 1774/2002 
See JRC-IPTS End of Waste Criteria – final report  

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The  Commission  is  presently  looking  into  the  possibility  of  introducing  such  minimum 
requirements  via  the  Sewage  Sludge  Directive23,  which  is  under  review.  An  impact 
assessment is planned for end 2010, and a proposal by 2011, if appropriate. 

7.1.4.  Research and Innovation 

Research  and  innovation  can  result  in  new  technologies  and  uses  for  bio-waste  (advanced 
fertilising  and  bio-energy  applications,  biochemical  applications,  biomaterials)  The  Seventh 
Framework  Programme  of  the  European  Community  for  research  and  technological 
development  (2007–2013)  is  instrumental  for  such  developments.  Several  themes  of  its 
Cooperation Programme support activities aimed at preventing bio-waste and/or maximising 
its economic value. 

7.1.5.  Re-enforced focus on full implementation of the existing EU acquis 

As demonstrated by the progress in several Member States, the existing waste legislation is an 
excellent  basis  for  advanced  bio-waste  management.  It  is  however  paramount  that  the 
available  tools  are  used  to  their  full  potential  and  properly  enforced.  Additional  new 
regulation cannot be expected to compensate for bad implementation or lenient enforcement 
of existing legislation. Therefore, the Commission – in parallel to assisting Member States – 
will  significantly  re-enforce  its  attention  to  better  implementation  of  legislation.  With  this 
aim, the Commission is preparing guidelines on the application of life-cycle thinking and 
assessment in the waste sector24. 

The effective enforcement of the diversion targets of the Landfill Directive is one of the top 
priorities in this regard. A number of actions can be taken, as appropriate, to strengthen the 
implementation  of  this  directive,  including  close  monitoring  of  the  attainment  of  the 
diversion targets, in-depth analysis of Member States' strategies for biodegradable waste 
management,  European  financial  support  through  regional  policies.  Furthermore,  the 
Commission is in the process of evaluating its means for better monitoring and giving more 
support to Member States where needed with a view to enabling early guidance, training and 
intensified co-operation. 

The steps described above would make best use of existing legislation, using already agreed 
Comitology  procedures  and  review  processes.  Leaving  the  necessary  leeway  for  national 
policies they could significantly help achieving a good implementation of waste legislation in 
support of EU resources efficiency.  

7.2. 

Actions to be taken by Member States 

7.2.1.  Waste Management Planning according to the "waste hierarchy" 

While  respecting  specific  local  conditions,  first  and  foremost  Member  States  should 
implement the provisions of the WFD and properly apply the "waste hierarchy" in national 
bio-waste management planning. Proper use of these provisions, which will become a legally 
binding  approach  for  Member  States  on  12  December  2010,  would  make  a  significant 

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86/278/EEC 
http://lct.jrc.ec.europa.eu/eplca/deliverables/international-reference-life-cycle-data-system-ilcd-
handbook  

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contribution to optimized bio-waste management and complement the effects of the Landfill 
Directive. 

7.2.2.  Prevention of bio-waste  

In line with the "waste hierarchy", waste prevention should be increased, making best use of 
the WFD's waste prevention programmes, including appropriate national bio-waste prevention 
objectives  to  break  the  link  between  economic  growth  and  the  environmental  impacts  of 
generating of bio-waste, national benchmarks for bio-waste prevention measures, monitoring, 
assessment and periodical reporting on progress in their achievement. The Commission could 
provide assistance by creating framework for such activities (see 7.1.1.). 

7.2.3.  Promote separate collection and biological treatment of bio-waste 

Composting  and  anaerobic  digestion  offer  the  most  promising  environmental  and  economic 
results for bio-waste that cannot be prevented. An important pre-condition is a good quality of 
the input to these processes. This would in the majority of cases be best achieved by separate 
collection. 

Member States should make strong efforts for introducing separate collection in order to meet 
high  quality  recycling  and  anaerobic  digestion.  Highly  efficient  systems  based  on  source 
separation  of  various  streams  of  bio-waste  exist  already  in  Austria,  Germany,  Luxembourg, 
Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Cataluña (Spain) and certain regions in Italy25. Systems of 
separate  collection  can  differ  significantly  depending  on,  for  instance,  the  types  of  waste 
collected (food waste, garden waste etc.) and the availability of treatment options. The key for 
success lies in adaptation to local conditions and user-friendly design  

The  Commission  recommends  that  Member  States  make  fullest  use  of  the  possibilities 
opened  by  Articles  11  and  22  of  the  WFD  to  introduce  separate  collection  systems  as  a 
matter  of  priority  in  line  with  the  competition  rules  of  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the 
European  Union.  Information  on  implementing  those  articles  will  likely  form  part  of  the 
reporting requirements under the WFD.  

7.2.4.  Protecting EU soils 

The  Commission  is  considering  proposing  minimum  standards  for  use  of  compost  and 
digestate  in  agriculture  via  the  revision  of  the  Sewage  Sludge  Directive  (see  7.1.3).  These 
rules  would  likely  be  equal  or  less  stringent  than  national  rules  already  in  place  in  some 
Member States, thus causing minimum needs for re-adjustment and additional costs.  

7.2.5.  Compost – a product of highest quality for better resource efficiency 

Member States should promote the production and  use of  compost from  "clean"  (separately 
collected) bio-waste. They should pro-actively support the wide up-take of this material by 
end-users.  This  would  improve  resource  efficiency  by  partially  replacing  non-renewable 
mineral  fertilizer  as  well  as  by  maintaining  the  quality  of  EU  soils.  Member  States  should 
proactively  participate  in  the  definition  of  quality  criteria  as  described  in  section  7.1.3  and 
support their application to accelerate market growth. 

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ACR+: Managing biodegradable household waste: What prospects for European Local Authorities? 

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7.2.6.  Towards "zero landfilling" 

With  regard  to  landfilling,  national  efforts  should  focus  on  the  full  implementation  of  the 
Landfill Directive's diversion targets and other provisions of the directive related to safe and 
sound landfilling of stabilised bio-waste residue. 

"Zero landfilling" of untreated waste and high-quality biological treatment has been achieved 
by  some  Member  States  who  already  took  the  appropriate  national  initiatives.  The 
Commission  highly  recommends  that  all  Member  States  aim  at  "zero  landfilling"  of 
untreated bio-waste at the fastest possible pace, in line with the provisions of the WFD. 

In  the  strive  towards  least  possible  landfilling,  all  options  that  are  higher  in  the  waste 
hierarchy  can  play  their  role.  Also  energy  efficient  incineration  can  contribute  to  improved 
overall waste management. However utmost care must be taken to avoid over-investment on 
incineration  capacity  that  could  limit  later  options  towards  more  biological  treatment  or 
prevention.  National  waste  management  plans  should  include  an  explicit  mid-  to  long-term 
consideration of this issue. 

7.2.7.  Producing energy from wastes 

The decarbonisation of the energy sector is one of the main challenges for the EU. Bio-waste 
can be converted to electricity, heat or transport fuels at relatively low cost, thus limiting the 
use  of  fossil  fuels  and  increasing  security  of  supply.  Member  States  should  consider  this 
opportunity  when  working  on  measures  to  reach  their  national  binding  renewable  energy 
target  for  2020  under  the  Renewable  Energy  Directive.26  The  Directive  particularly 
acknowledges the benefits of using waste to produce transport fuels by counting them double 
towards the 10% transport fuel target. 

7.2.8.  Better Implementation 

Proper  implementation  of  EU  legal  instruments  addressing  the  management  of  bio-waste 
must  be  made  a  key  priority  by  Member  States.  General  waste  management  requirements 
such as environmental and human health protection during waste treatment, priority for waste 
prevention  and  recycling  are  laid  down  in  the  WFD  which  also  contains  specific  bio-waste 
related  elements  (recycling  targets  for  household  and  similar  waste,  which  can  include  bio-
waste, separate collection requirements). Together with the Landfill Directive they form a key 
legislative framework on bio-waste. 

In line with the evidence presented in this Communication and the better regulation principle, 
it  is  imperative  that  Member  States  use  all  opportunities  of  the  existing  EU  legislation  to 
optimise their bio-waste management. 

8. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The analysis conducted by the Commission confirms that improved management of bio-waste 
in  the  EU  holds  an  untapped  potential  for  significant  environmental  and  economic  benefits. 
This  Communication  outlines  actions  to  unlock  this  potential  by  making  best  use  of  the 

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existing  regulatory  framework  while  safeguarding  a  wide  margin  of  discretion  for  Member 
States in choosing the best options for their respective circumstances. 

EN 

11 

   EN