European Union increases recycling targets.

• Author: Block, Ben
• Position: EYE ON EARTH - Brief article

The European Union increased its waste management targets in June. By 2020, EU households must reuse or recycle at least 50 percent of their waste, and construction waste is required to meet a 70-percent recycling target.

The general recycling targets are a first for the EU. Yet in a region where municipal waste has increased 13 percent over the past 12 years, environmentalists say the targets are too lenient. "They are too low to address the urgency of resource and climate threats," said...