Zero Waste Europe

Introduction

Zero Waste Europe's 2023 work programme contributes to the framework partnership and to the objectives of the FPA action plan. This will be implemented through our three content programmes: Sustainable Consumption and Production (C&P), Zero Waste Cities and Communities (C&C), and Climate, Energy and Air Pollution (CEAP).

Work Structure

ZWE’s work in 2023 is structured around four work packages (areas) following the life-cycle of products:

1. Waste Prevention and Consumption Reduction
2. Clean and Effective Material Cycles
3. Optimised Waste Collection and Treatment
4. Sustainable Residual Waste Management

Objectives

Together, these work packages aim at addressing the following objectives:

• Waste is avoided at source.
• Products are designed to last, to be repaired, and are safely produced, used, and recycled.
• Waste is separately collected and either returned to the soils or safely recycled into high-quality secondary raw materials.
• Stopping the misleading advertising and promotion of labels, technologies, and treatments that harm the environment and/or people.
• Civil society groups on the ground are empowered to contribute to EU policy making and implementation.
• Promoting best practices in the field of redesign and waste management.
• Creating the economic and legal incentives for circularity to be easier to implement than the typical linear solution.
• Enforcing the proximity principle and ensuring Europeans don’t use the rest of the world as a dumping ground.
• Recovering materials from mixed waste in order to reduce the amount of waste in Europe that needs to be disposed of and make disposal safe and expensive to provide incentives for redesign and recycling.

Environmental Impact

Our work on residual waste cap and new waste treatment technologies will reduce the emissions of pollutants to air, ensure clean air and waters, and reduce the amount of hazardous waste that today comes out of waste incinerators.

Contribution to Policy Framework

Our circular economy work is linked and contributes to the 2030 energy and climate policy framework of moving towards carbon neutrality by 2030.