Natural Resources & Waste

Our Work

Over the years IEEP has made significant contributions to the development and assessment of many aspects of EU waste legislation and policy. Since the first EU Waste Framework Directive was adopted in 1975, legislation has expanded dramatically to cover many specific waste streams and various areas of waste management, including landfill, hazardous waste, shipment of waste and waste statistics.

We have conducted a number of broad-scale reviews of legislation, including assessing the coherence of the EU recycling Directives and analysing the effectiveness of specific EU policies. We have also assessed measures taken by the Member States, such as economic instruments used in the waste management sector (e.g. disposal taxes and pay-as-you-throw systems) and extended producer responsibility schemes for specific waste streams (e.g. packaging, waste electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and end-of-life vehicles).

Regarding work in this area, please contact Emma Watkins.

More about our work in this area...

Latest in Waste Legislation & Policy

  • Plastics, Marine Litter and the Circular Economy

    Briefing and three product fiches explore circular economy solutions for reducing the flow of plastic waste into the oceans.

  • The cascading use of woody biomass in the EU – challenges, opportunities and policy solutions

    Improving the resource efficient use of wood through cascading the resource from one use to another, requires action throughout the wood flow. Current efforts focus on recovering and re-using waste wood but more could be done with the production and utilisation of wood processing residues and improving the balancing between the material and energy use of wood.

  • Mapping study on the cascading use of wood products

    Promoting the cascading use of wood through policy is one approach to improve resource efficiency and increase the overall availability of wood for use in a variety of sectors.

  • The Manual: Chapter 6 - Waste

    This is a chapter of IEEP’s Manual of European Environmental Policy. This chapter on EU waste policies focuses on the management of waste, the environmental requirements with which waste management installations must comply and the big picture policy initiatives focused on waste.

  • Environmental policy and the UK’s review of the EU Balance of Competences

    The UK Government’s Balance of Competences review has now taken evidence on 25 subject areas, including the 6 with the most relevance for the Environment. We take stock of the IEEP’s contributions, and consider what a possible UK renegotiation might mean for the environment.

  • EU waste law: the challenge of better compliance

    Waste management in the EU is improving, but implementation by the Member States of EU waste legislation remains patchy. This paper makes suggestions on how better compliance could be achieved.

  • Economic instruments to improve waste management

    This report investigates a range of economic instruments in place in the EU Member States to improve waste management. It focuses on disposal taxes, pay-as-you-throw systems and producer responsibility schemes, and attempts to assess their contribution to waste management performance.

  • Review of the Waste Thematic Strategy

    This report supported the European Commission’s review of the Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of Waste. It summarises available data on waste management in the EU, assesses progress towards the EU becoming a ‘recycling society’, outlines the achievements of the Waste Thematic Strategy, and makes recommendations for the development of future EU waste policies.

Highlights