This study assesses policy pathways for improving bio-waste management across the EU, evaluating their environmental, economic, and social implications. It supports the European Commission’s work on future legislative measures and builds on stakeholder consultations and the Commission’s Green Paper on bio-waste. The analysis includes the identification of relevant EU legislation, data collection, baseline scenario development, and modelling of policy scenarios up to 2020. Each scenario was assessed in terms of cost efficiency, resource recovery, and greenhouse gas emissions. Results show that promoting separate collection, composting, and anaerobic digestion can substantially reduce emissions and resource losses compared to landfilling or incineration. The study provides evidence-based insights to guide EU and national policymakers in designing strategies that balance environmental benefits with economic feasibility, driving a more sustainable circular bioeconomy.
Publication year: 2010
Language: EN
Published by: Eunomia
Keywords: bio-waste, EU policy, scenario analysis, composting, anaerobic digestion, circular economy, GHG, LCA, recycling, data analysis
