ETC CM report 2024/01: Climate change mitigation through policies on waste – intersectoral analysis

06 Feb 2024

Richard Claxton (Aether), Lucy Garland (Aether), Lewis Blannin (Aether)

EEA project managers: Almut Reichel, Magdalena Jóźwicka-Olsen, Melanie Sporer

With input from: Dirk Nelen (VITO, ETC CE), Ive Vanderreydt (VITO, ETC CE)

Abstract:

This report provides an analysis on the completeness, consistency and policy effects of country-level reporting for GHG policies and measures (PaMs) affecting the waste sector. It brings together information from reported PaMs under the Governance Regulation (2018/1999) and considers it within the context of historical sectoral emissions trends achieved to date as well as emissions trends projected up to 2050. The assessment explores the nature of commonly reported waste PaMs and identifies challenges and barriers to their quantification. It considers the varied nature of country-level implementation of European waste policy and how this has impacted on PaMs reporting, quantification, and historical emissions trends. The report also considers the effect of solid waste PaMs on GHG emissions that are accounted under other IPCC sectors. The report aims to assess whether additional effort is required from this sector in support of the EU climate neutrality objective.