REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of EU waste legislation for the period 2010-2012 Implementation of Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, Directive 86/278/EEC on sewage sludge, Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste, Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), and Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators
Date: 2017-02-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, application of EU law, disclosure of information, environmental protection, environmental statistics, prevention of pollution, waste, waste management

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 27.2.2017  COM(2017) 88 final   REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of EU waste legislation for the period 2010-2012  Implementation of Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, Directive 86/278/EEC on sewage sludge, Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste, Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), and Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on the implementation of EU waste legislation for the period 2010-2012 

1.  INTRODUCTION 

This report provides information about the implementation of the following waste directives 
over the period 2010-2012: 

  Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 
2008  on  waste  and  repealing  certain  directives  (the  Waste  Framework  Directive 
(WFD)); 

  Council Directive 86/278/EEC of 12 June 1986 on the protection of the environment, 
and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture (the Sewage 
Sludge Directive); 

  Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste (the Landfill 

Directive); 

  European  Parliament  and  Council  Directive  94/62/EC  of  20 December  1994  on 
packaging and packaging waste (the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive); 
  Directive  2002/96/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  27 January 

2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (the WEEE Directive); 

  Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 
2006  on  batteries  and  accumulators  and  waste  batteries  and  accumulators  and 
repealing Directive 91/157/EEC (Text with EEA relevance) (the Batteries Directive). 

The  report  is  based  on  information  Member  States  provided  in  their  replies  to  the 
implementation  questionnaires.  In  cases  in  which  Member  States  did  not  provide  the 
information  requested,  the  report  draws  on  other  available  sources  of  information  such  as 
European Environment Agency reports, information from Member State websites and replies 
submitted  for  previous  reporting  periods.  Detailed  information  on  the  implementation  of 
individual 
at: 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/reporting/index.htm. 

directives 

found 

can 

be 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
2.  TIMELINESS AND QUALITY OF REPORTING 

Of the 27 Member States under the obligation to report,1 most have submitted replies to the 
implementation  questionnaires  for  the  directives  this  report  covers.  Member  States  could 
better  fulfil  their  reporting  obligations,  by  providing  reports  on  time,  answering  all  the 
questions  and  giving  complete  information.  Annex  1  gives  an  overview  of  the  reports 
provided. 

The  quality  and  level  of  detail  of  reporting  and  of  the  information  provided  varied 
considerably.  Unclear,  vague  answers  were  repeatedly  provided.  For  instance,  answers 
frequently  only  referred  to  national  legislation  or  to  answers  given  in  previous  reporting 
periods, without providing further information on the implementation of the directives on the 
ground, even when this was explicitly requested. 

When  asked  to  provide  statistical  data  and  data  on  compliance  with  targets  set  in  the 
directives, most Member States referred to the annual reports submitted to Eurostat.2 

3.  DIRECTIVE 2008/98/EC ON WASTE 

Member States had to transpose the new Waste Framework Directive by 12 December 2010 
at the latest. At the time of reporting all Member States had either transposed it or were in the 
process of doing so. 

Compared to the previous reporting period, municipal waste generation per capita was lower, 
the  landfill  of  municipal  waste  had  decreased  and  recycling  and  incineration  with  energy 
recovery  had  increased.  By  the  end  of  2012,  at  least  half  of  the  Member  States  reached  or 
exceeded the 2020-target of preparing for re-use and recycling 50 % of household and similar 
waste  or  were  well  on  track  to  reach  them  by  then.  Seven  Member  States  reported  that  by 
2012 they had already reached or exceeded that target. Seven other Member States reported 
that  they  had  prepared  for  re-use  and  recycled  more  than  40  %  of  household  and  similar 
waste. 

A  number  of  Member  States  submitted  data  on  the  recovery  rates  of  construction  and 
demolition  waste  for  2010-2012.  Fourteen Member  States  reported  that  they  had  already 
reached or exceeded the target of recovering 70 % of construction and demolition waste. 

Most  Member  States  have  published  waste  prevention  programmes.  Eight  Member  States 
were still updating their waste management plans in line with the requirements of the Waste 
Framework Directive. Member States have incorporated the principles of extended producer 
responsibility, self-sufficiency and proximity and the polluter pays principle, along with the 
TEEP requirements,3 into national legislation and policy. 

There  are  significant  shortcomings  in  the  application  of  EU  waste  legislation  to  waste 
management in a number of Member States that still largely rely on landfilling of municipal 

1   Croatia became a Member State of the European Union (EU) on 1 July 2013. It was therefore not required 
to implement these directives during the reporting period. However, it submitted replies to Implementation 
Questionnaires 2010-2012 for the Waste Framework, Packaging and Packaging Waste and Sewage Sludge 
Directives and the information provided is included in this report. 

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/environment/waste/database. 

2  
3   Meaning that waste shall be collected separately if this is technically, environmentally and economically 

practicable (Article 10 WFD). 

3 

 
 
                                                            
waste.  The  Commission  has  developed  targeted  advice  on  the  implementation  of  specific 
measures  and  the  use  of  European  funds  to  help  these  Member  States  improve  their  waste 
management.4 

4.  DIRECTIVE 86/278/EEC ON SEWAGE SLUDGE 

The  Sewage  Sludge  Directive  has  been  in  force  for  almost  three  decades  and  its 
implementation  remains  unproblematic.  Little  has  changed  since  the  previous  reporting 
period. 

During  the  reporting  period  not  all  Member  States  used  sewage  sludge  for  agricultural 
purposes.  In  some  Member  States  there  is  no  or  very  little  agricultural  use  of  sludge.  One 
Member State reported that it has begun to use sewage sludge for agricultural purposes. 

All  Member  States  have  put  sludge  treatment  infrastructure  in  place  and  reported  on  the 
methods of treating sewage sludge before it is applied to land. 

The  performance  of  Member  States  varies  greatly  with  regard  to  the  requirement  to  set 
frequencies  for  the  testing  of  soil  on  which  sludge  is  used.  Some  Member  States  have 
stipulated times at which soil should be analysed subsequent to initial applications of sludge. 
Other Member States have set frequencies as long as 10 or even 20 years. Others have not set 
frequencies, requiring soil testing only if it is expected that the limit values will be exceeded. 

The  data  the  Member  States  have  provided  on  sludge  produced  and  used  in  agriculture 
confirm that this remains one of the predominant uses. Although the generation of sludge was 
reduced by 2 % between 2010 and 2012 compared to between 2007 and 2009, the Member 
States  reported  that  almost  the  same  amount  of  sludge  was  used  in  agriculture  as  in  the 
previous period. 

This corresponds to approximately 45 % of the amount of sludge produced. 

5.  DIRECTIVE 1999/31/EC ON THE LANDFILL OF WASTE 

The Landfill Directive has been in force for a long time and there has been little change since 
the previous reporting period 

Member States have taken measures to minimise or eliminate waste to landfill. The landfill of 
municipal waste in the EU-27 has decreased from a total of 96,055 million tonnes/193 kg per 
capita in 2009 to a total of 78,036 million tonnes/152 kg per capita in 2012. The average rate 
of landfilling of the total waste generated decreased to 32 % in 2012. Some Member States 
reported  landfilling  rates  for  municipal  waste  below  5 %  in  2012.  In  a  number  of  Member 
States, however, landfilling is still the predominant municipal waste treatment operation, with 
landfilling rates of more than 80 % of the total waste generated. These Member States have a 
lot to do to reduce landfilling. 

Most  Member  States  reported  a  year-by-year  reduction  of  landfilling  of  biodegradable 
municipal  and  other  biodegradable  waste.  The  completeness  of  the  data  submitted  varies 
however. 

4  

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/framework/support_implementation_1st_phase.htm. 

4 

 
 
                                                            
Member  States  have  taken  measures  to  provide  for  the  collection,  treatment  and  use  of 
landfill gas and to minimise nuisances and hazards. 

They  have  also  transposed  the  requirement  for  waste  acceptance  criteria  into  their  national 
legislation,  including  technical  requirements  such  as  the  monitoring  of  leachate,  surface 
water,  ground  water  and  gas  emissions.  Data  on  the  practical  enforcement  of  these 
requirements by landfill operators were not always provided however. 

Fifteen Member  States  reported  that  all  of  their  hazardous  waste  landfills  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  directive and  seven  reported  that  they still  had  non-compliant  landfills. 
Eleven  Member  States  reported  that  all  non-hazardous  waste  landfills  comply  with  the 
directive  and  10  Member  States  reported  that  they  still  had  non-compliant  landfills.  Ten 
Member  States  reported  that  all  inert  waste  landfills  comply  with  the  directive  and  eight 
Member States reported that they still had such non-compliant landfills. 

The  number  of  non-compliant  landfills  in  operation  for  all  waste  streams  (hazardous,  non-
hazardous and inert) remains a matter of concern in certain Member States. This was also the 
case in the previous reporting period. A lot needs to be done to tackle the problem. 

6.  DIRECTIVE 94/62/EC ON PACKAGING AND PACKAGING WASTE 

The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive has been in force for more than twenty years 
and there has been little change since the previous reporting period. 

Member  States  have  taken  action  to  prevent  the  generation  of  packaging  waste  through  a 
variety  of  measures.  These  include  prevention  plans,  producer  responsibility  schemes, 
taxation  measures,  pay  as  you  throw  systems,  green  public  procurement,  information  and 
awareness-raising campaigns, eco-design and action plans for key industries. Between 2010 
and 2012, the amount and composition of packaging and packaging waste reported remained 
stable,  with  the  reported  amount  of  packaging  waste  being  generated  across  the  EU-27 
increasing by 0.16 % during that period. 

Most  Member  States  have  taken  a  variety  of  measures  to  encourage  re-use.  These  include 
deposit and return systems for specific types of packaging, taxation measures, obligations to 
offer  products  in  reusable  packaging,  promoting  re-use  in  waste  plans  and  as  waste 
prevention measures, and information and awareness-raising measures. Some Member States 
have introduced, or plan to introduce, new deposit refund systems. 

The vast majority of Member States reached the targets for the overall recovery and recycling 
of packaging waste and the material-specific recycling targets. 

In general, Member States’ performance improved slightly for recovery (from 76.3 % in 2010 
to 78.5 % in 2012) and recycling (from 63.3 % in 2010 to 64.6 % in 2012). 

Most Member States oblige producers to collect packaging waste for recovery and recycling. 
Packaging producers fulfil their obligations by setting up their own take-back schemes or by 
participating in a scheme covering the return, collection, re-use, recycling or other recovery 
of  packaging  waste.  Some  Member  States  have  made  progress  by  expanding  existing 
collective packaging waste management schemes or by setting up additional return schemes 
and increasing the number of collective compliance schemes for packaging waste. 

Most  Member  States  reported  the  existence  of  national  standards  for  the  maximum 
concentration levels of heavy metals in packaging. Based on Commission Decision 2009/292 
EC of 24 March 2009, a derogation for plastic crates and plastic pallets from the heavy metal 

5 

 
 
concentration  levels  set  out  in  the  Packaging  and  Packaging  Waste  Directive  is  in  place. 
Despite the obligation to report on the functioning of the system provided for in this decision 
and  on  progress  made  in  phasing  out  plastic  crates  and  plastic  pallets  with  too  high  a 
concentration of heavy metals, no Member State provided any information about this. 

7.  DIRECTIVE  2002/96/EC  ON  WASTE  ELECTRICAL  AND  ELECTRONIC 

EQUIPMENT (WEEE) 

The  current  reporting  exercise  covers  the  old  WEEE  Directive.  Directive  2012/19/EU  has 
since replaced it. 

All  Member  States  have  set  up  collection  systems  and  introduced  measures  concerning  the 
environmentally sound treatment of WEEE and measures ensuring financing by producers of 
the  collection,  treatment,  recovery  and  environmentally  sound  disposal  of  WEEE  from 
private  households.  They  have  also  introduced  measures  to  ensure  that  producers  provide 
consumers and the WEEE treatment facilities with relevant information. 

More  WEEE  was  collected,  re-used/recycled  and  recovered  between  2010  and  2012  than 
during the previous reporting period. 

The  amount  of  WEEE  collected  from  private  households  across  the  EU-27  increased  from 
2.97 million tonnes by the end of 2009 to 3.02 million tonnes by the end of 2012. During this 
period, 17 Member States reached the collection target of 4 kg per inhabitant of WEEE from 
private households. 

Most Member States reached the directive’s category-specific targets for re-use/recycling and 
recovery, with rates improving over the reporting period. The highest rates were reported for 
consumer  equipment  and  small  household  appliances.  With  regard  to  consumer  equipment, 
26 Member  States  reached  the  65 %  re-use/recycling  target  and  the  75 %  recovery  target. 
These  Member  States  also  reached  the  50 %  re-use/recycling  target  and  the  70 %  recovery 
target for household appliances. The number of Member States that reached these targets was 
slightly  higher  than  in  the  previous  reporting  period,  although  the  list  of  Member  States 
changes  with  each  category  of  WEEE.  The  number  of  Member  States  that  reached  the 
category-specific  targets  for  re-use  and  recycling  fell  slightly  for  only  a  few  categories  of 
WEEE.5 

8.  DIRECTIVE 2006/66/EC ON BATTERIES AND ACCUMULATORS 

This  was  the  first  time  Member  States  were  required  to  report  to  the  Commission  on  the 
Batteries Directive. It is therefore not possible to compare with the previous reporting period. 

All Member States have transposed the requirements of the Batteries Directive into national 
legislation. 

Most Member States set up collection schemes for batteries and accumulators in the reporting 
period  and  a  few  reported  that  they  were  still  making  these  schemes  fully  operational. 

5  

In  2009,  26 Member  States  reached  the  targets  for  the  re-use  and  recycling  of  waste  electrical  and 
electronic tools. In 2012, 25 Member States reached these targets. In 2009, 24 Member States reached the 
targets  for  the  re-use  and  recycling  of  waste  gas  discharge  lamps.  In  2012,  23 Member  States  reached 
these  targets.  In  2009,  26 Member  States  reached  the  target  for  the  recovery  of  waste  electrical  and 
electronic tools. In 2012, 25 Member States reached these targets. 

6 

 
 
                                                            
Member States have measures in place for the treatment and recycling of waste batteries and 
accumulators. 

Member  States  reported  that  they  had  put  in  place  a  range  of  measures  to  prevent  waste 
batteries and accumulators being sent to landfill, such as permit systems and lists of types of 
waste  prohibited  from  landfilling.  Eleven Member  States  reported  to  have  put  in  place 
measures  going  beyond  the  obligations  of  the  directive.  These  include  minimising  the 
disposal  of  waste  from  industrial  and  automotive  batteries  and  accumulators  as  mixed 
municipal  waste,  awareness-raising  campaigns  in  schools  and  communities  and  making 
collection points for free take-back available. 

By  26  September  2012  20 Member  States  had  reached  the  minimum  collection  target  of 
25 %. 

Four  Member  States  reported  that  they  had  achieved  100 %  recycling  and  eight  Member 
States reported rates between 50 % and 99 %. 

Nineteen Member States reached and/or exceeded the recycling efficiency rates for lead-acid, 
nickel-cadmium  and  other  batteries  and  accumulators.  Two  Member  States  reached  and/or 
exceeded the rates for lead-acid and other batteries and accumulators and two Member States 
reached and/or exceeded them for lead-acid batteries and accumulators only. 

Two Member States exported waste batteries and accumulators to third countries. A number 
of  Member  States  exported  them  to  other  Member  States,  something  the  implementation 
questionnaire  doesn’t  fully  convey.  Member  States  without  any  domestic  treatment  or 
recycling  facilities  exported  all  of  their  collected  batteries  and  accumulators.  However,  a 
number  of  Member  States  with  domestic  treatment  facilities  also  reported  that  they  had 
exported their waste batteries and accumulators for treatment elsewhere in the EU. 

9.  CONCLUSIONS 

Not all Member States fulfilled the obligation in the directives to report to the Commission 
on their implementation every three years. Some did not submit replies to the Implementation 
Questionnaire 2010-2012. 

Replies  vary  between  detailed  and  complete  to  only  referring  to  national  legislation.  Most 
Member States reported on whether measures had been transposed into national law but did 
not comment on whether actions had proved effective or had led to improvements in practice. 
Replies  were  also  sometimes  inconsistent.  In  some  cases  data  were  missing.  In  others,  the 
replies did not enable any comparison between Member States or between a Member State’s 
performance in the previous and the current reporting period. 

In many cases replies did not provide sufficient information for an assessment of the state of 
actual implementation of the directives. For instance, many replies simply referred to national 
legislation or transcribed parts of legislative texts, without providing any further information 
on  implementation,  or  referring  only  to  replies  to  the  implementation  questionnaires  for 
previous reporting periods, without providing the information requested or information on the 
evolution of the situation over time. 

In conclusion, the triennial implementation reports prepared by the Member States have not 
proven effective for verifying compliance with the directives, their implementation and their 
impact. The reporting exercise also requires a lot of resources and it may create unnecessary 
administrative burden. 

7 

 
 
The  most  objective  and  accurate  information  for  assessing  performance  on  waste 
management  across  Member  States  is  the  data  they  have  to  provide  every  year  on  waste 
generated,  waste  collection,  waste  recycling  and  recovery,  landfill  and  sewage  sludge 
generation  and  use.  They  should  therefore  do  more  to  improve  the  quality,  reliability  and 
comparability of such data. They could do this by benchmarking reporting methodologies and 
introducing  a  data  quality  check  report,  so  that  when  reporting  on  the  achievement  of  the 
targets  set  out  in  the  legislation,  Member  States  use  the  most  recent  and  harmonised 
methodology. 
These conclusions are addressed in the recent review of waste policy and legislation.6 In it, 
the Commission  proposed to repeal provisions obliging Member States to  produce triennial 
implementation reports and to base compliance monitoring exclusively on quality statistical 
data that Member States must provide the Commission with annually. 

6  

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/target_review.htm  

8 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
ANNEX 1:  MEMBER STATES’ RESPONSES TO THE IMPLEMENTATION QUESTIONNAIRES RECEIVED BY 

THE COMMISSION BEFORE THE END OF 2014 

Waste 
Framework 
Directive 
2008/98/EC 
+ 

WEEE 
Directive  
2002/96/EC 
+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

Landfill 
Waste 
Directive  
1999/31/EC 
+ 
+7 

+ 

Packaging 
and 
Packaging 
Waste 
Directive  
94/62/EC 
+ 

+ 

+ 

Sewage 
Sludge 
Directive  
86/278/EEC 
+ 

Batteries 
Directive  
2006/66/EC 
+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 
not required 

Not 
Required 

Not 
Required 

+ 
not required 

+ 
not required 

Not 
Required 

Member 
States 

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Croatia 

Cyprus 

Czech 
Republic 

Denmark 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Hungary 

Ireland 

Italy 

Latvia 

Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

Malta 

Netherlands 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

Spain 

Sweden 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

9 

7   Reports received from the Walloon Region and Flanders, but not from the Brussels Capital Region. 

 
 
                                                            
Waste 
Framework 
Directive 
2008/98/EC 

WEEE 
Directive  
2002/96/EC 

Landfill 
Waste 
Directive  
1999/31/EC 

Packaging 
and 
Packaging 
Waste 
Directive  
94/62/EC 

Sewage 
Sludge 
Directive  
86/278/EEC 

Batteries 
Directive  
2006/66/EC 

+ 

- 

+ 

+ 

+ 

+ 

89 % 
(25/28) 

75 % 
(21/28) 

82 % 
(23/28) 

89 % 
(25/28) 

82 % 
(23/28) 

86 % 
(24/28) 

Member 
States 

United 
Kingdom 

EU-28: 
percentage 
received (%) 

On time: by 30.09.2013 

Between 1.10.2013 and 31.10.2013 

Between 1.11.2013 and 31.12.2014 

No report received before 31.12.2014 

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX 2:  GENERATION AND TREATMENT OF WASTE 

Municipal waste generated by Member State (thousand tonnes) 

2010

2011

2012

60.000

50.000

40.000

30.000

20.000

10.000

0

AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE EL ES FI FR HR HU IE IT LT LU LV MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK UK

Source: EUROSTAT (online data code: t_env_wasst) 

Treatment of municipal waste by Member State (2012) 

landfill/disposal

total incineration (with energy recovery)

composting and digestion

material recycling

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE EL ES FI FR HR HU IE IT LT LU LV MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK UK

Source: EUROSTAT (online data code: t_env_wasst) 

11 

 
 
 
 
Re-use and recycling of household waste by Member State 

2010

2011

2012

2020 target set by WFD Article 11(2)(a)

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE EL ES FI FR HR HU IE IT LT LU LV MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK UK

Source: Data provided by Member States to the European Commission in Implementation Questionnaires 2010-
2012 or to EUROSTAT using the EDAMIS portal 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
Preparation for the re-use and recycling of household waste  — calculation method 

Rates of preparation for the re-use and recycling of 
household waste 

2010 

2011 

2012 

Calculation 
method the 
Member State 
used:8 

2 

3 

3 

2 

2 

2 

1 

2 

4 

2 

4 

- 

2 

1 

2 

4 

2 

3 

1 

2 

2 

2 

- 

3 

4 

79 % 

58 % 

29 % 

- 

20.3 % 

38 % 

- 

- 

33 % 

- 

63 % 

- 

34 % 

53 % 

37 % 

16 % 

37 % 

51 % 

- 

48 % 

- 

19 % 

- 

9 % 

22 % 

- 

59 % 

32 % 

15 % 

22.4 % 

50 % 

- 

27 % 

35 % 

59 % 

63 % 

- 

40 % 

45 % 

39 % 

18 % 

43 % 

50 % 

23 % 

48 % 

- 

19 % 

- 

13 % 

34 % 

79 % 

57 % 

- 

- 

- 

46 % 

53 % 

27 % 

33 % 

- 

- 

- 

- 

44 % 

41 % 

18 % 

42 % 

- 

24 % 

48 % 

18 % 

22 % 

- 

13 % 

- 

Member State 

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Croatia 

Cyprus 

Czech Republic 

Denmark 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Hungary 

Ireland 

Italy 

Latvia 

Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

Malta 

Netherlands 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

8   Commission  Decision  of  18 November  2011  establishing  rules  and  calculation  methods  for  verifying 
compliance with the targets set in Article 11(2) of Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and 
of the Council (2011/753/EU) (OJ L 310/11). 

13 

 
 
 
                                                            
Member State 

Calculation 
method the 
Member State 
used:8 

Rates of preparation for the re-use and recycling of 
household waste 

2010 

2011 

2012 

Spain 

Sweden 

United Kingdom 

4 

2 

3 

29 % 

62 % 

40 % 

27 % 

- 

43 % 

- 

- 

44 % 

Notes: 

To  verify  compliance with  the  target  under  Article  11(2)(a)  of  the  Waste 
Framework  Directive,  Decision  2011/753/EU9  allows  Member  States  to 
use four different calculation methods to report their re-use and recycling 
rates for household waste. The difference between the calculation methods 
relates to the waste types each covers, as follows. 
  Method 1: paper, metal, plastic and glass household waste. 
  Method 2: paper, metal, plastic and glass waste and other single waste 

streams from households or similar waste streams. 

  Method 3: household waste. 
  Method 4: municipal waste. 

Source: Data provided by Member States to the European Commission in Implementation Questionnaires 
2010-2012 or to EUROSTAT using the EDAMIS portal.10 

9   Commission  Decision  of  18 November  2011  establishing  rules  and  calculation  methods  for  verifying 
compliance with the targets set in Article 11(2) of Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and 
of the Council (2011/753/EU) (OJ L 310/11). 

10   ARGUS (2014), Compliance Reporting on Waste Framework Directive — Recycling and Recovery Rates 
for 2010, 2011 and 2012: Report on the validation of household waste data (draft), December 2014. 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Recovery of construction and demolition (C&D) waste by Member State 

2010

2011

2012

2020 target set by WFD Article 11(2)(b)

120%

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE EL ES FI FR HR HU IE IT LT LU LV MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK UK

Source: Data provided by Member States to the European Commission in Implementation Questionnaires 2010-
2012 or to EUROSTAT using the EDAMIS portal.11 

11   ARGUS (2014) Compliance Reporting on Waste Framework Directive — Recycling and Recovery Rates 
for  2010,  2011  and  2012:  Report  on  the  validation  of  construction  and  demolition  waste  data  (draft), 
October 2014. 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
ANNEX 3: SEWAGE SLUDGE 

The amounts of sludge produced and used in Member States, 2010-2012 

Amounts of sludge produced by waste 
water plants, dry matter (tonnes/year) 

Amounts of sludge used in agriculture 

2010 

2011 

2012 

2010 

2011 

2012 

Austria * 

117 471 

119 069 

34 798 

33 076 

113 248 

13 029 

Bulgaria 

49 757 

51 388 

59 261 

13 644 

17 561 

21 241 

Croatia 

21 315 

18 570 

19 457 

546 

681 

954 

Cyprus 

7 083 

6 815 

6 533 

5 294 

3 912 

2 756 

Czech 
Republic 

162 724 

163 739 

162 217 

27 253 

20 562 

35 542 

Denmark 

131 900 

no data 

no data 

79 140 

no data 

no data 

Estonia 

27 950 

27 780 

22 796 

14 100 

16 030 

12 536 

Finland 

142 700 

140 900 

no data 

7 500 

3 800 

no data 

France 

1 127 039 

1 094 836 

1 124 363 

779 609 

790 780 

787 300 

Germany 

1 774 793 

1 836 952 

1 742 920 

610 249 

600 270 

580 031 

Greece 

103 866 

90 655 

89 978 

270 

180 

9 358 

Hungary ** 

236 043 

217 494 

no data 

24 580 

22 322 

no data 

Ireland 

89 991 

85 648 

72 429 

82 670 

57 699 

68 329 

Italy 

Latvia 

839 725 

851 760 

654 024 

248 215 

299 159 

274 095 

23 258 

22 458 

22 686 

8 131 

5 307 

6 740 

Lithuania 

67 990 

65 971 

no data 

15 517 

15 877 

no data 

Luxembourg 

7 434 

7 852 

8 733 

2 738 

3 569 

4 292 

Netherlands 

523 744 

513 786 

510 000 

23 853 

20 708 

20 000 

Poland 

533 400 

567 300 

562 000 

98 200 

112 000 

123 000 

Portugal *** 

162 680 

140 013 

284 776 

5 646 

23 087 

29 171 

Romania 
**** 

138 850 

124 500 

no data 

0 

0 

no data 

Slovakia 

54 760 

58 720 

58 706 

923 

462 

1 140 

16 

 
 
 
Slovenia 

29 996 

26 808 

26 171 

3 

0 

2 

Spain 

1 086 720 

1 058 999 

1 082 669 

895 791 

863 765 

870 059 

Sweden 

211 100 

214 420 

207 460 

49 600 

44 170 

48 340 

United 
Kingdom 

1 422 024 

1 434 710 

1 152 327 

1 067 672 

1 074 424 

834 202 

Data for 2011 do not include data from Lower Austria. 
Not final data as the final calculation of 2011 data is ongoing. 

*  
**  
***   An estimated average value of 20 % dry matter was used. 
****   Data used for 2007-2009. 

17 

 
 
 
 
 
Inert waste 

Other waste 

ANNEX 4: WASTE LANDFILL 

Table 1: Number of Landfills in 2012 

Member State 

hazardous waste  

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Cyprus 

Czech Republic 

Croatia 

Denmark 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Hungary 

Ireland 

Italy 

Latvia 

Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

0 

7 

8 

113 

26 

6 

7 

22 

- 

76 

2 

13 

0 

- 

1 

0 

0 

Non-
hazardous 
waste  

156 

31 

174 

119 

152 

35 

14 

3 

2 

62 

6 

- 

4 

- 

Not required 

52 

6 

90 

- 

2 643 

1 742 

74 

72 

36 

- 

11 

11 

2 

- 

11 

5 

- 

- 

3 

11 

50512 

1 

- 

- 

- 

0 

- 

- 

- 

1114 

215 

- 

45 

- 

- 

0 

0 

12   Excavated soil dumps. 
13   The landfill was constructed before the Directive was published. 
14   Underground storage and long-term storage. 
15   Non-hazardous industrial waste. 

18 

 
 
 
                                                            
Member State 

hazardous waste  

Inert waste 

Other waste 

Non-
hazardous 
waste  

Malta 

Netherlands16 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania17 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

Spain 

Sweden 

0 

22 

- 

2 

105 

11 

2 

14 

46 

United Kingdom 

EU27: 

225 

35518 

- 

22 

- 

63 

105 

90 

71 

206 

108 

423 

- 

22 

- 

4 

105 

17 

14 

170 

30 

429 

- 

- 

- 

0 

- 

- 

0 

- 

0 

- 

3 71919 

2 36220 

564 

16   The  figures  the  Netherlands  submitted  in  Implementation  Questionnaire  2010-2012  do  not  differentiate 

between landfills for hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste or inert waste.  

17   The figures Romania submitted in Implementation Questionnaire 2010-2012 do not differentiate between 

landfills for hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste or inert waste. 

18   EUROSTAT estimate (phased out) 
19   EUROSTAT estimate (phased out) 
20   EUROSTAT estimate (phased out) 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Table 2: Rest capacity of landfills for non-hazardous waste in 2012 (in 1 000 tonnes or m3) 

Member State 

hazardous 
waste  

Non-
hazardous 
waste  

Inert waste 

Other waste 

0 

38 900 

5 300 

- 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

- 

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Cyprus 

Czech 
Republic 

Croatia 
Denmark21 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

3 992 

2 076.52 

3 354 t + 
607 460 m3 

8 763 t + 
16 385 m3 

3 693 

235 258 

- 

- 

8 821 

33 584 

1 439 

- 

9 830 

Not required 

692 

6 200 

48 667 

- 

260 

0 

496 

- 

463 

205 500 

18 061 

- 

54 800 

1.522 

Hungary 

185 per year 

Ireland 

Italy 

Latvia 

Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

Malta 

Netherlands23 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania24 

- 

- 

180 

0 

0 

0 

- 

- 

1 670 

- 

455 200 

184 100 

7 600 

- 

38 900 

14 500 

- 

16 211 

1 250 per 
year 

0 

16 800 

- 

- 

0 

106 per year 

1 160 127 m3 

14 593 544 m3 

- 

39 690 m3 

- 

28 275 

- 

- 

0 

- 

653 

- 

- 

0 

- 

- 

0 

0 

0 

- 

0 

- 

0 

- 

Includes landfills for mineral waste and landfills for mixed waste. 

21  
22   Data refer to one of the two sites. 
23   The figures submitted by the Netherlands in Implementation Questionnaire 2010-2012 do not differentiate 

between landfills for hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste or inert waste. 

24   The figures Romania submitted in Implementation Questionnaire 2010-2012 do not differentiate between 

landfills for hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste or inert waste. 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Member State 

hazardous 
waste  

Inert waste 

Other waste 

Non-
hazardous 
waste  

8 964 

6 464 

124 168 t + 
53 307 000 
m3 

813 

75 

5 130 t + 
80 000 m3 

- 

609 

102 254 

7 050 

34 726 

637 

18 545 

485 174 

130 024 

551 12025 

2 288 59026 

978 55027 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

Spain 

Sweden 

United 
Kingdom 

EU-27 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

Source: Implementation Questionnaires 2010-2012 and EUROSTAT 2015.28 

25 EUROSTAT estimate (phased out) 
26 EUROSTAT estimate (phased out) 
27 EUROSTAT estimate (phased out) 

28   Database  EUROSTAT.  Available  at:  http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/environment/waste/database. 

The table shows all available data at the time of writing this report. 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
ANNEX 5: PACKAGING AND PACKAGING WASTE 

Packaging and packaging waste generated by Member State (tonnes) 

2010

2011

2012

18.000.000

16.000.000

14.000.000

12.000.000

10.000.000

8.000.000

6.000.000

4.000.000

2.000.000

0

BE BG CZ DK DE EE IE EL ES FR HR IT CY LV LT LU HU MT NL AT PL PT RO SI SK FI SE UK

Source: EUROSTAT (online code: t_env_wasst) 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
Recovery of packaging waste by Member State (%) 

2010

2011

2012

2008 target: 60%

2001 target: 50%

120%

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

8
2
U
E

T
A

E
B

Y
C

Z
C

E
D

K
D

E
E

L
E

S
E

I
F

R
F

R
H

U I
E
H

T
I

T
L

U
L

L
N

T
P

I

E S
S

K
S

K
U

G
B

V
L

T
M

L
P

O
R

Source: EUROSTAT (online code: t_env_wasst) 

Recycling of packaging waste by Member State (%) 

2010

2011

2012

2008 target: 55%

2001 target: 25%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

8
2
U
E

T
A

E
B

Y
C

Z
C

E
D

K
D

E
E

L
E

S
E

I
F

R
F

R
H

U I
E
H

T
I

T
L

U
L

L
N

T
P

I

E S
S

K
S

K
U

G
B

V
L

T
M

L
P

O
R

Source: EUROSTAT (online code: t_env_wasst) 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX 6: WASTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT 

Total amount of WEEE collected from private households by Member State (kg per capita) 

2010

2011

2012

target: 4 kg / household

20

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE EL ES FI FR HR HU IE IT LT LU LV MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK UK

Source: EUROSTAT (online code: env_waselee) 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
ANNEX 7: BATTERIES AND ACCUMULATORS 

Collection of waste batteries and accumulators by Member State (%)29 

2010

2011

2012

450%

400%

350%

300%

250%

200%

150%

100%

50%

0%

AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE EL ES FI FR HR HU IE IT LT LU LV MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK UK

Source: Data provided by Member States to the European Commission (EC, 2014) 

Recycling efficiency of waste batteries and accumulators by Member State (%)30 

Lead-acid

Nickel-cadmium

Other

120%

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE EL ES FI FR HR HU IE IT LT LU LV MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK UK

Source: Data provided by Member States to the European Commission (EC, 2014) 

29   For  comparative  purposes,  collection  rates  are  calculated  as  an  average  percentage  rate  across  battery 

types. 

30   The  most  recent  year  of  data  has  been  used  for  each  Member  State  to  show  recycling  efficiency  across 

battery types between 2010 and 2012. 

25