Assistance to the Commission on technical, socio-economic, environmental and cost-benefit assessments related to the implementation and further development of EU waste legislation

The Service Request notes that the general objective of the study is to increase the level of protection of the environment and public health from the impacts of waste management and more specifically to limit waste generation, increase re-use, increase collection and cost-efficient preparing for re-use and quality recycling, including for waste oils and textiles.

Our team has read this request in relation to Article 4 of the waste Directive that indicates which are the preferred options in treating waste through the waste hierarchy whereby the priority order is prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, other recovery (e.g. energy recovery) and finally disposal in landfills. The need to move from a linear pattern of consumption to a circular pattern requires an answer to the question ‘How is it possible to prevent waste generation in the first place, and whenre waste is generated to promote its reuse and recycling?’. W and we see our task as answering this question as entirely in keeping with the objectives laid down in the service request. Answering this question will form the centrepiece of our engagement with stakeholders and in defining problems, options and measures.