€3.19B waste funding 'falling short' for decarbonising parts of Europe
Zero Waste Europe analysis finds current budget allocations insufficient for central and eastern European countries, despite 39 per cent increase in waste management funding.
The EU’s current budget allocations for waste management and circular economy initiatives are insufficient to meet the 2030 emission reduction targets, says a new report from Zero Waste Europe, Bankwatch, Za Zemiata and Zelena Akcija.
The analysis focuses on nine central and eastern European countries - Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland - and demonstrates that while the 2021-2027 funding cycle increased available funds by 39 per cent, more targeted investments are needed to achieve decarbonisation goals in the waste sector.
Specifically, whilst investment into minimising, sorting, and recycling waste has increased by 67 per cent, funding for household waste treatment methods has stagnated to just 4 per cent of the 2014-2020 budget, while funds for commercial waste management have halved.
In the EU, the waste sector accounts for 27 per cent of methane emissions, equivalent to 101 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO₂e) in 2020. Without financial support, the report suggests that this figure will not be significantly lowered.
Janek Vahk, Zero Waste Europe’s Zero Pollution Policy Manager, explained the problem with cutting the waste treatment budget: “Landfill methane is one of the most potent climate threats, yet EU funding for waste management is still falling short.
“Urgent investment is needed to scale up biowaste collection, composting, and pre-treatment technologies like biological treatment to stop methane generation at its source.
Shift towards recycling leaves waste treatment behind
In the 2021-2027 funding cycle, waste management across the nine countries has been allocated an overall budget of EUR 3.19 billion, compared to EUR 2.29 billion in 2014-2020.
The majority of the funds have been allocated to preventing, minimising, sorting, reusing and recycling waste, with combined household and industrial measures accounting for 60 per cent of the total allocation.
However, allocations for the management of industrial residual and hazardous waste accounts for three per cent of the fund. Household residual waste treatment receives the smallest share at just one per cent.
Table one shows the shift towards recycling and clean production compared to 2014-2020, while funding for waste treatment methods has reduced to EUR 140.23 million.
| Intervention field | 2014-2020 planned budget (EUR) | 2021-2027 budget (EUR) | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Household waste management focused on minimising, sorting, and recycling waste | 1,260,981,877 | 2,109,824,160 | 1.67 |
| Household waste management focused on mechanical, biological, thermal, and landfill waste treatment methods | 826,000,404 | 34,941,518 | 0.04 |
| Commercial, industrial or hazardous waste management | 204,674,276 | 105,286,734 | 0.51 |
| Other | 942,597,466 | ||
| Total | 2,291,656,557 | 3,192,649,878 | 1.39 |
Table 1: Comparison of the 2014–2020 and 2021–2027 budgets based on the 2014–2020 waste management categorisation
Whilst most countries increased the amount of waste recycled and reduced landfilling between 2014 and 2020, none met the EU’s Waste Framework Directive target of 50 per cent separated collection of municipal solid waste by 2020.
Moreover, waste generated per capita increased in most countries, with significant increases in the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Slovakia.
Biowaste management remains crucial for methane reduction
The report identifies biowaste management as a critical area for reducing methane emissions from landfills. However, composting and anaerobic digestion accounted for only a small portion of total waste management efforts during the 2014-2020 funding cycle.
The analysis shows that if all nine countries were to achieve a 50 per cent composting rate for generated biowaste (estimated at 34 per cent of total municipal solid waste), the potential reduction in emissions would equal 3.74 million MtCO₂e—approximately 4.7 per cent of total EU landfill-related emissions.
Iva Dimitrova, Economic Justice campaigner at Za Zemiata, commented: “Biowaste management remains a major challenge across analysed countries in Central and Eastern Europe, with only 10 per cent of municipal waste separately collected as biowaste in 2020.”
Country-specific investment needs
The report identifies specific investment needs for each of the nine countries to meet EU targets. Common themes include:
- Increasing separate collection of biowaste, particularly food waste
- Expanding composting and anaerobic digestion capacity
- Implementing economic incentives like pay-as-you-throw systems
- Improving public awareness and participation
- Developing infrastructure for recycling and reuse
Dimitrova added: “Urgent investments are needed in separate collection infrastructure, combined with economic incentives like increased tax on landfilling and incineration and the implementation of pay-as-you-throw system to reduce landfilling and encourage waste prevention.”
