On 2 July, the European Commission presented a legislative proposal and a series of documents whose aim is to boost recycling and turn Europe into a more circular economy. The package, which is part of the wider resource efficiency agenda, includes Communications on sustainable buildings, green jobs and green SMEs as well as reports assessing progress on the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe and analysing an EU target for resource productivity. The package suggests a 30% resource productivity target by 2030 but leaves it to the next Commission to take a political commitment.

According to the Commission, circular economy “retains the resources within the economy when a product has reached the end of its life, so that they remain in productive use and create further value”. Such an approach virtually eliminates waste. The waste legislation review proposes to recycle 70% of municipal waste and 80% of packaging waste by 2030, and to ban burying recyclable waste in landfill as of 2025. A non-binding target is also included for reducing marine litter along with food waste reduction objectives.