1. SEPARATE WASTE COLLECTION TRANSFORMS WASTE INTO A RESOURCE WITH A FUTURE

One of the threats to modern society is not only the overconsumption of raw materials, but also the waste created by this consumption. This has a direct impact on climate change, the rate of change of which is too intense and increasingly difficult to control. The overuse of natural resources, population growth and active commercial activity are stimulating the creation of waste, and one of the most successful ways of dealing with it is recycling. The process of recycling raw materials is also a way of limiting the use of natural resources and is a crucial part of the ‘circular economy’.

To achieve optimal results in waste management processes, all actors in the chain of production, supply, logistics, consumption and utilization should be involved.

Citizens and households globally are among the largest consumers and generators of non-hazardous waste. One of the many hurdles facing a circular plastics economy is how to get used packaging and materials back from the consumer and into recycling plants, in order to put it back into the supply chain.

Eurostat defines municipal waste as anything collected by local authorities. This means it mainly comes from households, but also includes rubbish from shops, offices and public institutions.

505 kg of municipal waste per capita were generated in the EU in 2020, up nearly 10% since 1995.

48 % of municipal waste in the EU was recycled (material recycling and composting) in 2020.

Of the 300 million metric tons of plastic produced globally each year, only 12% is reused or recycled.

Since 1950, a whopping 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic has been made. But sadly, only 9% of this has been recycled.

Waste separation is one of the most popular forms of environmental protection. It enables waste to be recycled so that it can be used again. Nudging consumer behaviour to move from intention to action as far as separate waste collection is concerned may include techniques like raise consumer awareness, make it easy, make it fun, visualise end-results, use vouchers.