NL Professors find proposed EU recycling targets unworkable

20 February 2015

Contrary to what the environmental lobby argues, the EU’s proposed recycling target is unattainable and socially sub-optimal, write Raymond Gradus and Elbert Dijkgraaf, professors of economics at VU University Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
They have published an opinion that it is a wise decision to bin EU target for recycling. A cost-benefit analysis shows that this is not socially optimal, and an evaluation study for the Netherlands shows that it is nearly impossible to reach the EU-goal of 70% with available policies. Only 3 out of 28 countries (i.e. Germany, Belgium and Austria) are above the Dutch recycling rate (News Item EurActiv.com, 10 February 2015).
Click here for the news item.
Click here for the opinion.
Click here for the evaluation study (336 kB).

If you have any questions about this subject, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411. This item is also included in our monthly overview, the NVC Members-only Update.