Source: European Parliament
Article 14 of the Waste Framework Directive[1] establishes that the costs of waste management must be borne by the original waste producer or by the waste holders.
The directive also indicates that Member States have the possibility of using economic instruments that cover the actual costs of waste management.
It is good practice to link these economic instruments to the actual amount of waste generated, as indicated in Annex IV to the directive. However, the Commission has no direct control on how the collected fees and funds in the field of waste management are spent.
The costs of waste management for the citizens can be reduced by reducing waste volumes and replacing single use items with reusables.
Along this line, the impact assessment for the recently adopted new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation[2], which contains concrete measures for waste reduction and more sustainable packaging waste management, quantified savings of EUR 100 per citizen and year.
- [1] Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives, OJ L 312, 22.11.2008, p. 3-30, as amended by Directive (EU) 2018/851 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May, OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 109-140.
- [2] Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 on packaging and packaging waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904, and repealing Directive 94/62/EC, OJ L, 2025/40, 22.1.2025.