Development of an EU harmonised model for separate municipal waste collection and related policy support : literature review

In the context of the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), the Joint Research Centre is investigating the rationale for harmonising separate collection systems for municipal waste. The present report reviews and identifies the key parameters and elements making up a waste collection system, covering the range of different approaches currently followed in the Member States (e.g. "common bin colours, harmonised symbols for key waste types, product labels, information campaigns and economic instruments" as indicated in the CEAP). It also reviews other logistical elements such as collection frequencies, modes of collection (including deposit refund-schemes), spatial distribution, and level of separate collection of different waste fractions, with the aim of gathering evidence on the overall benefits brought by these options from a life cycle perspective. Similarly, the report provides an overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge available on the performance of waste collection systems, focusing on the environmental and economic implications.