Recycling of plastics in the European Union – exploring the potential domestic adaptation of best practices from other Member States

Náhlik, András and Pankotay, Fruzsina Magda and Németh, Nikoletta (2022) Recycling of plastics in the European Union – exploring the potential domestic adaptation of best practices from other Member States. GAZDASÁG ÉS TÁRSADALOM, 15 (2). pp. 90-110. ISSN 0865-7823

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Abstract

The ratio of plastic waste, especially plastic packaging, within waste is big. To address this issue, the European Union has developed a plastics strategy that it expects Member States to adopt. The EU’s waste policy models are known as the Waste Hierarchy and the Circular Economy Model, which both deal with plastics. Waste management efficiency differs among the Member States. Unfortunately, Hungary ranks among the states with the worse results. This thesis aims to define the situation at the EU and the Hungarian level. The investigation utilized primary and secondary sources. The primary sources focused mainly on Hungary and comprised in-depth interviews with nine relevant Hungarian actors in the plastic waste industry, researchers, specialists from public and private companies, and an Austrian researcher. The interviews allowed for comparisons between the countries. According to the respondents, the Hungarian situation is underdeveloped. Hungary has developed nearly the same infrastructure level as Western Europe, but Hungarian attitudes about recycling differ vastly from Western European attitudes. Developing an effective plastic recycling system requires changing behaviour first. Concerning the recycling infrastructure in Hungary, only a few improvements are needed to include certain types of plastic (e.g., PET bottles) that are not currently recycled.

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