How close is Hungary to hitting its recycling target? 

In a 2018 report published in September 2018, the European Commission warned that Hungary risked falling behind on its waste recycling target by 2020. According to the EC, Hungary was one of the 14 European countries who encountered difficulties meeting their recycling goals and was at the very bottom of the list, together with Malta and Romania. As a result, the EC released a follow-up report to further discuss the biggest recycling challenges and help Hungary develop a long-term strategy. 

 By 2030, the EU wants member states to cut down plastic waste by 55% and dramatically reduce the individual use of plastic bags, which have been proven to harm the environment. As part of this European goal, Hungary is working on the creation of stricter recycling regulations, such as a ban on single-use plastics by 2021. 

 How bad are Hungarians at recycling?

According to the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, the average Hungarian citizen uses 80 plastic bags every year and most of these bags end up in landfills, where they release toxic gases. Although the general recycling levels have increased considerably in Hungary, the country struggles in two main sectors: plastic and e-waste. 

 Statistically speaking, Central European countries produce the least amount of waste and overall, Hungary has made considerable progress, because 35% of the total waste generated is actually recycled. In Europe, only Finland and Poland managed to exceed this number. Nevertheless, a worrying 51% of waste generated goes to landfills, which is where improvements need to be made. 

 The state of plastic recycling in Hungary is one of the worst in the European Union. The rate of plastic recycling in the EU is 42%, whereas Hungary currently stands at 31%. The Government hopes to boost these numbers starting with 2021 when the ban on single-use plastics will come into play. Apart from the ban on plastic bags, which are still used heavily in Hungary, the government also plans to increase fees on single-use cups, plates, utensils, and straws, which take hundreds of years to decompose. 

Apart from plastic waste, e-waste is another major challenge that Hungary is struggling to find solutions for. If three-quarters of Hungarians are aware of the importance of selective recycling and sort paper and plastic garbage at home, the dangers of e-waste are less known. 

Recent research reveals that nearly half of Hungarians place the electronic devices they no longer need in their garbage bins at home or on the streets, which is extremely harmful to the environment. This contradicts the confidence of the general public, who believes that they dispose of batteries, cables, and other e-waste correctly. 

In reality, 50% of Hungarians throw away electronic devices with general waste or, even worse, leave it in the street so that someone might find them useful and pick them up. Environmentalists warn that e-waste is just as dangerous as plastic waste, perhaps even more so, and it should only go in special bins. 

 According to a study conducted by Media Markt, the problem stems from the lack of public awareness on the importance of e-waste recycling. More specifically, 

 Almost a quarter of Hungarians don’t know how to recycle selectively 

• 15% don’t have time to put aside e-waste and recycle it according to the best practices 

• 20% don’t believe that e-waste recycling is a pressing matter 

In Hungary, e-waste can be disposed of at electronic stores and, if they order new appliances, they can have the supplier remove the old appliances from their homes free of charge. Since a 2015 Government Decree, customers even receive a discount if the old appliance is removed on the same day.  

At a European scale, only 20% of the 50 million tons of electronic waste are recycled annually and, considering that this type of waste can have a major environmental footprint, it’s crucial for EU member states to take collective action. 

Recycling efforts in other member states 

In regards to general recycling, Hungary is one of the most environmentally aware states in Central Europe. Neighboring countries Romania and Slovakia only recycle 30%, and 23% respectively. Poland, on the other hand, is slowly making its way out of the lower tier and is taking great strides towards reaching its goals, as only 36% of their waste is going to landfills. 

In the rest of Europe, however, the picture looks different. Cyprus and Lithuania have doubled their plastic and recycling rates, while several countries in Western Europe and Scandinavia are close to being 100% waste free. 

For example in Sweden recycling rates have reached an impressive 99%, not just in the household sector, but in the commercial one as well. Businesses now use almost exclusively balers and compactors to minimize waste and households take selective recycling very seriously. Sweden’s recycling revolution is actually one of the best European success stories and serves as inspiration for other EU states. Norway is also close to hitting its zero-waste target, with current recycling rates at 97%. The UK is also making considerable progress, and Germany remains stable in its fight for a circular economy. 

At the other of the scale are Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Estonia. The latter is a surprising case because, even if the recycling rate is only at 28%, only 10% of waste ends up in the landfill. 

Overall, recycling rates are on an ascending path in Europe. As more and more countries are learning how to use waste as a resource and close the loop of product lifecycles, dependence on landfills will continue to diminish and make way for sustainable waste management solutions. Nevertheless, there is a huge discrepancy in how European states reach their targets and Hungary will need to align with the strategies of top tier states.