EUROPEAN UNION'S WASTE POLICY

Continuous efforts in waste policy are needed to improve the knowledge-base: new indicators are needed to measure progress towards a recycling society and to map waste and material streams and resource flows. Better information and forecasts of life cycle based environmental and health impacts of the waste policies with a specific focus on resource and climate policies should be developed. This papers deals with deep analysis of European Union's waste policy. Decision-makers across society have clear opportunities to enhance recycling in the EU and thereby help create a green economy in Europe by supporting demand for recyclables in industry within and outside the EU, ensuring that recyclable material is separated from waste for disposal and the quality of recyclables is improved because this increases the value of the recyclable waste material, improving product design to facilitate material separation, integrating the recycling of rare and precious metals into the existing recycling infrastructure, developing new recycling technologies and stimulating research on substitutes for these metals, phasing out landfilling for recyclable materials, building up recycling infrastructure and markets where they do not exist. The development of recycling over the last decade is an interesting example of market forces and legislative demands working together to produce positive results. This integrated approach should be further strengthened within an EU sustainable raw material management strategy. Measures are also needed to broaden understanding of the role of recycling in realising a green economy in the EU and worldwide. Water recycling is also increasingly implemented in various industrial sectors leading to clear improvements in water use efficiency and reduced water expenses. The re-use of treated waste water, although not currently widely practiced, is growing across Europe. Significant potential exists for much greater use of treated wastewater. Moving towards sustainable water resource management requires that reliable and up-to-date information is available at appropriate spatial and temporal scales across Europe. Such information has many benefits including providing an improved overview of the causes, location and scale of water stress; helping identify trends; facilitating the evaluation of measures implemented to address unsustainable water use; and assisting EU citizens to engage in water issues.