Council Directive 1999/31/EC (consolidated version as of 4 August 2024)
Council Directive 1999/31/EC establishes the EU framework for minimizing the environmental impact of landfilling. It classifies landfills into hazardous, non-hazardous, and inert categories and requires that only treated waste may be deposited. The directive bans certain waste types, including liquid, flammable, infectious clinical waste, and tyres, while enforcing strict operational, monitoring, and long-term aftercare standards.
The 2018 amendment introduced binding targets to advance the EU’s circular economy goals: by 2030, waste suitable for recycling or recovery must not be landfilled unless disposal provides the best environmental outcome; by 2035, municipal waste landfilling must be reduced to 10% of total generation.
The 2024 update strengthens these measures by banning landfilling of separately collected waste, mandating methane capture and monitoring, and requiring digital reporting for compliance. It also promotes economic instruments such as landfill taxes and emphasizes bio-waste diversion to composting and anaerobic digestion. These provisions aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve resources, and support the EU’s climate neutrality objectives.
Relevance to bio-waste and/or circular bioeconomy:
The directive is key to the circular bioeconomy, restricting landfilling of biodegradable and recyclable waste. It encourages alternative treatments such as composting and anaerobic digestion, recovering nutrients and energy from bio-waste. The 10% landfill target and ban on landfilling separately collected waste drive innovation in bio-waste valorisation, supporting sustainable resource use, waste prevention, and climate mitigation.
EU
Full title: Consolidated text: Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste
Publication date: 1999 (consolidated 2024)
Instrument type: Directive
Binding for EU MS: Yes
Keywords: landfill, municipal waste, circular economy, bio-waste, recycling, waste hierarchy, waste treatment, resource efficiency, methane monitoring, landfill reduction targets