Europe Looks to Increase Recycling Rates

The European Union (EU) is voting on June 16 on proposed targets for recycling that would require households to reuse or recycle 50 percent of their waste by 2020.

The EU currently composts about 27 percent of its waste, and anticipates waste output to increase by 25 percent before 2020. This extra potential waste will need to be accounted for to hit the 50 percent target.

By comparison, the EPA estimates that the recycling rate in the U.S. was around 32 percent in 2006, and wants this to increase to 35 percent this year.

You can find out where to recycle in your area using Earth 911’s recycling locator.

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