Assessment of separate collection schemes in the 28 capitals of the EU : final report

Separate collection of individual waste fractions is seen as a pre-condition for fostering high quality recycling and high recycling rates. Thus, Article 10(2) of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) sets the general requirement of separate collection and obliges the Member States (MS) to set up separate collection systems for at least paper, metal, plastic and glass by 2015. Article 11 (1) sets the requirements for the European Member States to take measures to promote high-quality recycling through separate collection. There is a wide variety of ways to collect different waste streams, and experience shows that practical implementation of the obligations differs significantly across 28 EU Member States (EU-28 MS). The objective of this project is to assess the separate collection schemes in the capital cities of the EU-28 MS. The assessment focuses on the priority waste streams mentioned in Article 10 (2) and Article 11 (1) metal, plastic, glass and paper, plus on bio-waste. It includes an assessment of the legal framework for and the practical implementation of separate collection systems in the EU-28 MS, together with an in depth-analysis of systems applied in EU-28 capital cities. The study covers all separate collection systems that collect one or more of the five waste streams separately from residual waste/mixed municipal waste at source. This includes strict separation and co-mingled collection systems, door-to-door, bring-point collection and other systems.