Spain fails to meet EU recycling targets: Environmental organisations take action

Spain is struggling to meet its recycling targets set by the European Union, and a coalition of 26 environmental and civil organisations are taking action to address this issue.

According to the alliance, Spain is not on track to meet recycling goals. The group said that they will take the country before the European Commission to force lawmakers to take action in an announcement made on Thursday, March 2.

The EU’s waste framework directive set a goal to reuse or recycle 50 per cent of waste by 2020. However, Spain fell short of this target, with figures from a government ministry indicating that they only achieved a 40.5 per cent recycling rate.

In the report, Carlos Arribas, the Head of the Waste Department at Ecologistas en Acción, stated that the situation is not only failing to improve, but it is getting worse. The recycling rate for Spain in 2021 is estimated to be at 36.7 per cent, lower than the 2020 rate of 40.5 per cent.

The environmental groups hope that by taking the government to the EU, legislation will be changed.