In 2000 recycling in the European Union generated over 229,200 jobs, which by 2008 had increased to nearly 512,340 - an annual growth rate of over 10.5 percent. The proportion of people employed in waste-related recovery activities in there increased from over 400 persons per million inhabitants in 2000, to over 600 in 2007, an increase of some 45 per cent.

Globally, about one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, amounting to about 1.3 billion tonnes per year.

The global waste market, from collection to recycling, is estimated at $410 billion a year, not including the sizable informal segment in developing countries.

Overall, an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of solid waste is collected worldwide, a figure expected to increase to 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025, with almost all of the increase from developing countries. Moreover, decay of the organic fraction of solid waste contributes about 5 per cent of global greenhouse gases.

"Even more progress can be made if production and consumption processes are re-evaluated, so that all the inefficiencies, losses and adverse impacts associated with generating and managing waste are reduced, or, for certain kinds of products, even eliminated completely," the document said.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)