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E2: Environmental statistics and accounts; sustainable development

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e-mail contact: ESTAT-CIRCULAR-ECONOMY@ec.europa.eu

The indicator is part of the Circular Economy indicator set. It is used to monitor progress towards a circular economy on the thematic area of 'waste management'.

The waste recycling rate directly monitors the amount of material fed back into the economy, thereby capturing the value of materials as far as possible and reducing losses. As product and process design are improved with a view to future recycling, and as institutional obstacles to recycling are overcome (such as lack administrative capacity, lack of investment in separate collection and recycling infrastructure, and insufficient use of economic instruments), the recycling rate should increase.

The indicator is calculated as recycled waste (RCV_R) divided by total waste treated excluding major mineral wastes (TRT), multiplied by 100. It is expressed in percent (%) as both terms are measured in the same unit, namely tonnes.

Recycled waste is waste treated, which was sent to recovery operation other than energy recovery and backfilling (for simplification referred to as recycling).

Waste data are adjusted for waste collected in one country and recycled in another country. The amount of recycled waste is adjusted as following: waste treated in domestic plants plus waste sent out of the country for recycling minus waste imported and treated in domestic recycling plants. Waste treated is based on Waste Statistics Regulation and the imports and exports of wastes are based on Foreign Trade Statistics and reported according to the Combined Nomenclature (CN-codes).

The indicator covers both hazardous (hz) and non-hazardous (nh) waste from all economic sectors and from households, including waste from waste treatment (secondary waste) but excluding most mineral waste. Major mineral waste is excluded in order to avoid situations where trends in ordinary waste generation can be drowned out by massive fluctuations in the generation of wastes in the mineral extraction and transformation sector. This also permits more meaningful comparison across countries, as mineral waste accounts for very substantial quantities in countries characterized by major mining and construction sectors.

Interpretation of the indicator

The indicator reflects the treatment of national waste, no matter where it takes place, and it excludes the waste that is imported from non-EU countries.

Percentage.

Calendar year.

Indicator is produced according to the high-level quality standards of European Statistics. Details on accuracy can be found in the metadata of the source datasets (see link in "Related metadata").

ESS

Data source: European Statistical System (ESS).

Data provider: Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat). Management of waste excluding major mineral waste, by waste operations (env_wasoper) collected on the basis of the Waste Statistics Regulation (EC) No 2150/2002, adjusted with data for imports and exports from Foreign Trade Statistics (Comext).

Every 2 years

Indicator is disseminated every second year.

T+2 years

New data points are disseminated within two years after the reference year.

All EU MS

Data are presented for all EU Member States, plus the United Kingdom.

The EU aggregate is also available.

All EU MS

Data are comparable between all EU Member States.

5 to 10 years

Presented time series starts in 2010.

> 4 data points

Length of comparable time series without methodological break is more than 4 data points.

Analysis of indicator is presented in Commission Staff Working Document.

Eurostat, Statistics explained: Waste management indicators

Eurostat, Statistics explained: Waste statistics

See table cei_wm010

Eurostat dedicated section on Circular Economy

Eurostat dedicated section on Waste Statistics

DG ENV, EU Circular Economy Action Plan

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