Michael Brunn

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".

Many sectors of European industry rely on the availability of permanent magnets con-taining rare earths. However, these are not available in Europe, but come to a very large extent from China. Therefore, a new strategy is needed. Circular Republic has explained what this could look like in the report "Closing the loop on rare earth mag-nets".

The construction and demolition industry is one of the world's largest producers of waste. Against the backdrop of growing requirements for sustainability and the circular economy, efficient waste management is increasingly coming into focus. Conventional sorting processes have their limits: they are personnel-intensive, error-prone and costly. Machine learning (ML) in combination with computer vision and robotics offers new approaches here. So far, however, there is a lack of empirical evidence that systematically compares the ecological and economic advantages of ML-based automated sorting systems with conventional methods. The study "Machine learning-based automated waste sorting in the construction industry: A comparative competitiveness case study" by Finnish scientists examines the extent to which MLAS can deliver better results in terms of recycling rates and material purity as well as in terms of cost structure. The study was published in "Waste management".

The European economy is faced with the dual task of securing its competitiveness and at the same time achieving climate targets. In particular, the transformation towards a climate-neutral circular economy requires significant investment, but also offers opportunities for innovation and sustainable growth. According to current estimates, the investment gap is around 850 billion euros per year in the period 2027 to 2034. In view of limited national budgets, the idea of a European public investment fund is gaining in importance. The report "The macroeconomic effects of a green European Public Investment Fund - taking climate change into account" by the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research of the Hans Böckler Foundation examines the macroeconomic effects of such a fund, taking into account the long-term climate costs.

However, their heterogeneous composition and difficult separation limit their recyclability. In response to this need, the CÍCLiCOM project was launched—an initiative aimed at promoting high-value technical solutions that unlock the full potential of these materials and move towards a more sustainable and competitive industry.

The latest annual report shows the largest capacity contraction ever recorded. Preliminary 2025 data reveal a 50% rise in recycling facility closures, resulting in the loss of nearly one million tonnes of European recycling capacity over just three years. 

Founded in 2019 and located in Saint-Étienne in France, Trimetal has become a benchmark in the recovery and valorization of special metals. The company specializes in the processing and recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals from complex waste streams: refuse derived fuel, glass, wood, incineration residues, mattress springs, pulper ropes, and more.

With over 40 years of experience, Regulator-Cetrisa has established itself as a benchmark in the Iberian Peninsula and South America, offering high-performance systems for the recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Its technological expertise now becomes part of Picvisa's portfolio, expanding its offering in optical sorting and automation systems based on vision and artificial intelligence.

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Europe's largest network of environmental NGOs, stressed that postponing ETS2 will weaken the EU's ability to cut emissions this decade while shrinking funds meant to help vulnerable households in the transition.

Pellenc ST makes a significant contribution to the high performance of the plant with its latest generation of sorting equipment. In total, 21 Mistral+ CONNECT machines are in operation to recover 13 fractions of recyclable materials (excluding metals and aluminium). In addition, there are 13 AISEE gantries equipped with artificial intelligence, which analyse the quality of the streams in real time and assist in performance management.