The circular economy assumes that materials circulate in the economy for as long as possible and that waste is above all prevented, reused and recycled.
RSSSeparate collection, bio-waste, recycling, the Polish waste database (BDO), deposit return systems and producers' duties — from the perspective of plants processing organic waste.
From 1 October 2025 a deposit of 50 gr is paid for PET bottles up to 3 l and cans up to 1 l, and PLN 1 for reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 l. We explain the rules, shop obligations and the 2026 changes.
The EU requires 55, 60 and 65% preparation for re-use and recycling of municipal waste by 2025, 2030 and 2035, and landfilling below 10% by 2035. We set the targets against Eurostat data for Poland.
Sources give straw utilisation in China of 86–90%, but the method of calculation is often unclear. Some provinces, such as Hunan, are moving away from a total burning ban, and in 2025 the central level also softened its approach.
Receiving waste for fermentation requires a waste processing permit or an integrated permit. We describe the authority, the application, annexes, inspections, security for claims and the period of validity.
Fruit pulp, whey, pomace, fats and slaughterhouse waste have a high methane potential, but require control of loading, variability of composition, and compliance with sanitary rules and the Waste Database (BDO).
From the start of 2026, municipal waste may not be landfilled without prior treatment in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. On the second day, 66 t went to the Sudokwon landfill, about 3% of the previous average.
The Japanese system rests on the 2000 food waste recycling act and the 2019 food loss reduction act. Targets to 2030, revised after businesses reached theirs early.
On 1 October 2025 the deposit return system for PET bottles up to 3 l and cans up to 1 l started in Poland; the deposit is 50 groszy, and PLN 1 for reusable glass bottles. Shops above 200 m² must accept packaging.
Since 1 January 2025 Vietnam has required household waste to be sorted into three fractions. According to the ministry, only 32 of 63 units have launched pilots, and food waste makes up 50–60% of the stream.
On 9 September 2025 the European Parliament approved the Council's position on the revision of the Waste Framework Directive. Directive (EU) 2025/1892 introduces binding food waste reduction targets and EPR for textiles.
After the landfill ban, sewage sludge goes to agriculture, composting, digestion and incineration. We analyse the routes, restrictions, phosphorus recovery and the impact of the new municipal wastewater directive.
Poland has no single EPR act: producers’ obligations follow from sectoral acts (packaging, equipment, batteries, vehicles, the product fee). We explain the mechanisms and the changes for 2025.
In February 2025 NSW passed a statutory FOGO collection obligation: councils must provide the service to all households with a red bin by 1 July 2030, and businesses in stages from July 2026.
On 1 January 2025 the EU obligation to collect textile waste separately came into force. It is another stream, after bio-waste, covered by separate collection, which affects the layout of the waste management system.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 will replace Regulation 1013/2006: digital procedures, new export rules for non-OECD countries and a ban on exporting plastic waste. Key dates: 2025, 2026 and 2027.
The second edition of the report by the Bio-based Industries Consortium and Zero Waste Europe: only 26% of food waste in the EU is collected separately. Since 1 January 2024 the obligation to collect bio-waste separately has applied to all Member States.
On Saturday morning, 10 August 2024, the Kiteezi landfill in Kampala collapsed after torrential rain. By Sunday the death toll had risen to at least 23, and the president ordered an investigation.
From 1 July 2024 the levy for disposing of municipal waste in New Zealand is NZD 60 per tonne, after a four-year increase of the rate from NZD 10 in 2009 and an extension of the levy's scope.
How South Korea built a food waste collection system: a landfill ban since 2005, weight-based fees with RFID containers and a recycling rate above 95%.
On 24 April 2024 the European Parliament adopted at first reading its position on the regulation on packaging and packaging waste. The requirements concern, among other things, compostable packaging, reuse and recycling.
A municipality must provide separate collection of six streams, including biowaste, and residents must comply. We explain the fractions, bin colours, the exemption for home composters and the EU deadlines.
On 13 March 2024 the European Parliament backed (514 votes in favour) its position on the revision of the Waste Framework Directive: binding food waste targets and extended producer responsibility for textiles.
The Regulation of the Minister of Climate and Environment of 23 November 2023 sets out how to prepare regional waste management plans and the investment plan: a 12- and 6-year horizon, and a map of biowaste, digestion and thermal treatment installations.
On 22 November 2023 the European Parliament adopted its position on the draft regulation on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR): waste reduction targets, bans on selected single-use packaging and rules for compostable packaging.
