ESA urges Iceland to meet waste collection and recycling targets

The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) has today issued a letter of formal notice to Iceland for failing to meet several key waste collection and recycling targets.

Under EEA rules, Iceland must achieve binding targets for the collection and preparation for reuse and recycling of waste. These targets become progressively more ambitious as part of efforts to support the transition to a circular economy.

However, the most recent data reported for 2023 show that Iceland has not yet met several of these targets.

In particular, at least 50% of municipal waste should have been prepared for re-use and recycling by 2020. In 2023, the rate reached only 31.7%. Iceland was also required to recycle 60% of its glass packaging waste by 2008, but the recycling rate was 59.5% in 2023. Iceland was also required, by 2019, to collect the waste from at least 65% of the electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market (average of the previous three years), but the collection rate was 27% in 2023.

Iceland must now take the necessary measures to ensure compliance. In doing so, it can draw on the country-specific recommendations set out in ESA's Early Warning Report . This will also be important to ensure compliance with the amended EEA waste legislation targets for 2025, 2030 and 2035.

ESA's decision follows a similar approach at the EU level. After issuing its own Early Warning Report , the European Commission opened infringement proceedings against all 27 EU Member States for failing to meet one or more of the same targets.

A letter of formal notice represents the first step in an infringement procedure against an EEA EFTA State. Iceland now has two months to respond to ESA's concerns before ESA decides whether to pursue the case further.

Read ESA's decision here .

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