In Europe, we currently waste over 500 kilograms of waste per person every year. And to make this worse, 60% of that waste ends up being landfilled or incinerated. [1]
Worryingly, incineration is still rising in Europe, and is being funded with taxpayers’ money from the EU budget.
Friends of the Earth wants to reverse this trend and wants more waste to be prevented, reused and recycled. If the EU as a whole recycled as much as the top recycling regions in Europe, over 500,000 jobs would be created. [2] Another advantage is that , jobs in the recycling sector are better paid than those in sectors such as landfilling. [3]
At the moment the EU institutions are discussing Europe’s long-term approach to the environment, including waste.
Please join us in writing to your minister to say that we want better waste management in Europe. We need a system based on prevention, reuse and recycling. This will also bring more and better jobs.
Friends of the Earth groups in Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark and England, Wales and Northern Ireland have launched an e-action asking supporters to write to their environment ministers. From now until June ministers will attend high-level EU discussions on the future of waste management policy and they can bring Europe’s citizens voices to the table.
Please add your voice and tell decision-makers that the ‘7th Environmental Action Plan’ is pivotal to stop landfilling and incinerating waste and to put the right incentives in place to increase waste prevention, reuse and recycling across Europe.
– – –
[1] Eurostat (2013) http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Waste_statistics
[2] Friends of the Earth Europe (2010) ‘More jobs less waste’ http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2010/More_Jobs_Less_Waste_Sep2010.pdf
[3] European Environment Agency (2011) Earnings, jobs and innovation: the role of recycling in a green economy http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/earnings-jobs-and-innovation-the
