"At least 500,000 new jobs would be created in Europe if countries recycled 70% of their waste, says a study 'More Jobs, Less Waste', produced by Friends of the Earth. This is the recycling rate already achieved by Flanders in Belgium.
"The EU [and the North London Waste Authority!] current recycling target of 50% by 2020 will mean no overall increase in jobs, according to the research, as a reduction in waste levels is predicted by 2020.
"The report also shows that recycling creates around ten times more jobs, per tonne, than sending rubbish to landfill or incineration.
"Previous research for Friends of the Earth [here] showed that the EU currently buries or burns at least €5.25-billion of recyclable materials every year. Recycling that waste would save the equivalent of 148 million tonnes of climate changing emissions, equivalent to taking 47 million cars off the road.
"Friends of the Earth Europe’s resources campaigner, Dr Michael Warhurst said:
"Our research shows that a 70% recycling target would create more than half a million new jobs by 2020, a significant contribution towards the 3 million green jobs that President of the European Commission José Manue Barroso has called for by 2020."
"Despite the economic, environmental and employment benefits of recycling more, the European Commission has up until now failed to set high enough recycling targets for Europe. European Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik has stated that resource efficiency is one of his priorities, so now he must not waste the opportunity to make it a reality.
"Europe must stop throwing valuable resources - and the potential jobs that come with them - in holes in the ground or sending them up in smoke in expensive incinerators."
The report comes as the European Commission is reviewing its approach to waste and recycling. (Click image for details.)
Friends of the Earth Europe is proposing that the EU adopts higher recycling targets, and stops landfilling and incinerating materials that can be recycled. (Click image for Powerpoint file from last year.)
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| “Creating an EU recycling society: It’s not (just) implementation”: talk given in June 2010 http://www.foeeurope.org/activities/waste_management/Warhurst-IGBE-Jun10.ppt |
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