EU waste firms rebut Eunomia sorting claims

Materials Recycling World UK (MRW) – 20 February 2023 – European waste industry body FEAD has rejected claims by Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) that sorting mixed waste before undergoing thermal treatment and landfilling can significantly improve municipal waste recycling rates. The claim arose last week from research by consultancy Eunomia for ZWE, which said that prior sorting would ensure recyclable materials were not lost. But FEAD said such additional mixed waste sorting was “not the silver bullet for achieving a circular economy”. It said: “This is a dangerous message as it undermines years of awareness-raising and investments made by the sector to implement and ensure the functionality of source separation of municipal waste by our citizens.”