Between statistics and reality

Waste management is a central field of action in the European circular economy. EU directives set ambitious targets, but effective governance requires reliable data on environmental and economic impacts. So far, however, many assessments have been based on volume-based indi-cators such as recycling rates or landfill rates, which only reflect the actual environmental and cost balance to a limited extent. It is particularly problematic that usually only collected waste quantities are taken into account, while the quantities actually generated with misthrows and unrecorded streams often remain hidden. As a result, inefficiencies in the system are over-looked and priorities are distorted. The study "Comprehensive assessment of environmental and economic impacts of the entire EU waste management system" by scientists from Den-mark and Spain presents a model that combines both perspectives and at the same time inte-grates ecological and economic assessments. The study was published in "Waste manage-ment".