The EU needs to make a big push to secure better compliance with existing waste law. Non-implementation of EU waste law endangers human health and the environment, distorts competition, and is estimated to cost a total of €90 billion a year.

The EU has a dense web of waste law in place and there has been a general move away from landfilling. But it is very difficult to find out what each Member State is doing to implement EU laws. However, we do know that deadlines and targets are being missed and waste is being illegally exported to destinations that cannot safely cope with it. Prosecutions by the Commission are slow and often depend on ad hoc complaints from the public.

A new IEEP paper looks at the state of implementation and waste management in the Member States, the role of the EU institutions, and how the EU could respond effectively and quickly to the challenge of implementing waste law.