EU countries ranked on effectiveness of their waste management systems

Countries in the European Union have been ranked on the effectiveness of their waste management systems.

The European Commission has created the list in an attempt to improve efficiency of waste management practices across the continent. All 27 members are graded in the document, which uses 18 criteria such as as total waste recycled, rate of landfilling and access to facilities.

"The study is designed to create a more resourceful and efficient Europe, so points out what works and what doesn’t," an EU source told European Plastics News.

Austria and the Netherlands topped the table with 39 points apiece. Their high ranking was attributed to the countries performing well all around. Other high-achieving countries included Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Sweden, who all send less than five per cent of their waste to landfill.

At the bottom of the pile was Greece, who can't seem to get anything right when it comes to EU policy at the moment. The debt-ridden country scored a measly three points, closely followed by Bulgaria (eight points) and Malta (nine points).

"A lot needs to be done for the countries at the bottom," said the EU source. "It’s partly about a mentality change, so we need to educate the populations, but we also need to get the right infrastructure in place."

The information obtained from the report will now be used to create roadmaps for the ten worst performing countries, which will then be discussed with national authorities in the autumn. However, the EU are only prepared to invest in waste management projects if certain conditions are met, such as the development of plans in accordance with the Waste Framework Directive.

"With the challenges we are facing today in Europe, it makes no environmental or economic sense that seven EU member states are diverting over 90 per cent of plastics waste from landfill, while 15 others still bury over 60 per cent," Wilfried Haensel, executive director of PlasticsEurope, said in a statement.

Posted by Claire Manning