Page 7 - U4SSC Case study: City solid waste management, June 2020

Case Study 1 - Spain: SmartWaste - Promoting recycling of municipal waste

Author: Jorge Díaz García-Herrera

Introduction

Background

Cities are responsible for 50 per cent of the global waste generated and are causing between 60 and
80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Against this background, concepts such as circular
economy are particularly important, even more so when cities consume three quarters of natural
resources. 1

Figure 1: Recycling containers

Source: www .esmartcity .es

Recycling is one of the fundamental pillars of the circular economy; its objective is to use the waste
originating in industrial processes as raw material for another process through exchange, reconditioning,
repair and re-use in a closed circuit. In this context, what was previously considered ‘waste’ can become
a valuable resource.

According to the latest Eurostat figures, across the EU on average more than 45 per cent of municipal
waste (which does not include industrial or hazardous waste) is being recycled. The new Directive
(EU) 2018/851 amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, maintains a 50 per cent target for 2020, and
establishes that the new targets for 2025, 2030 and 2035 will require a one-point annual increase.
In that scenario, all EU members will have to recycle at least 55 per cent of municipal waste by 2025,

Case study: City solid waste management, June 2020 1