The Directive 2006/66/EC defines the targets for the collection rates and for the recycling efficiencies of batteries and accumulators.

• Collection rate targets for portable batteries and accumulators are: 45 % by September 2016.

Recycling efficiencies were required to have been met for three types of batteries by no later than 26 September 2011. Recycling processes shall achieve the following minimum recycling efficiencies:

• lead-acid batteries and accumulators – recycling efficiency of 65 % by average weight;
• nickel-cadmium batteries and accumulators – recycling efficiency of 75% by average weight;
• other batteries and accumulators – recycling of 50 % by average weight.

Lead and cadmium recycling (rate of recycled content) shall be performed to the highest degree technically feasible while avoiding excessive costs according to Directive 2006/66/EC.

The Landfill Directive implemented targets to reduce the quantity of municipal waste landfilled, mainly in order to reduce the greenhouse gas impacts associated waste management but also to support the circular economy and move waste up the waste hierarchy to reuse and recycling.
 
The initial target only applied to the reduction of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) (Article 5(2)). With 1995 as the reference year (100% by weight), BMW to landfill had to be reduced to:
 
• 75% in 2006 (2010)
• 50% in 2009 (2013)
• 35% in 2016 (2020)
 
Note: brackets show the target year for Member States that have been granted a 4-year derogation due to relatively low performance in the baseline year of 1995 i.e. >80 % landfill rate in 1995.
 
As part of the Circular Economy Package, the Landfill Directive was updated in 2018 and a further target was included (Article 5(5)). The following target is the maximum amount of total municipal waste that must be landfilled:
 
• 10 % in 2035 (2040)
 
Note: the bracket shows the target year for Member States that have been granted a 5-year derogation due to relatively low performance i.e. >60 % landfill rate in 2013. If the derogation is applied, the Member State must still ensure that the total amount of landfilled municipal waste does not exceed 25 % in 2035.

The Directive stipulates that Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the following targets are attained by economic operators:

• no later than 1 January 2006, for all end of life vehicles, the reuse and recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 85 % by an average weight per vehicle and year. Within the same time limit the reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 80 % by an average weight per vehicle and year;
• no later than 1 January 2015, for all end of life vehicles, the reuse and recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 95 % by an average weight per vehicle and year. Within the same time limit, the re-use and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 85 % by an average weight per vehicle and year.

The most recent revision of the Waste Framework Directive (as amended by 2018/851) includes the following targets for household and similar waste (which comprises the majority of Municipal Waste). Article 11(2a) states:

• by 2020, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of waste materials such as at least paper, metal, plastic and glass from households and possibly from other origins as far as these waste streams are similar to waste from households, shall be increased to a minimum of overall 50 % by weight.

And Article 11(2c) to (2e) states:

• by 2025, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to a minimum of 55 % by weight;
• by 2030, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to a minimum of 60 % by weight;
• by 2035, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to a minimum of 65 % by weight.

A Member State may postpone the deadline for attaining any target under points (2c) to (2e) by up to five years, provided that that Member State:

a)   landfilled more than 60 % of its municipal waste generated in 2013 as reported under the Joint Questionnaire of the OECD and Eurostat; and
b)   at the latest 24 months before the deadline laid down in Landfill Directive (2018/850), notifies the Commission of its intention to postpone the deadline and submits an implementation plan.

Even if a Member State postpones the targets, minimum levels of preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste are still required, as set out under Article 11(5).
Also relating to municipal waste, the Landfill Directive includes the following target:

• by 2035 the amount of municipal waste landfilled is reduced to 10 % or less of the total amount of municipal waste generated (by weight).

A Member State may postpone the deadline for attaining the target by up to five years provided that the Member State:
a)   landfilled more than 60 % of its municipal waste generated in 2013 as reported under the Joint Questionnaire of the OECD and Eurostat; and
b)   at the latest 24 months before the deadline laid down in Landfill Directive (2018/850), notifies the Commission of its intention to postpone the deadline and submits an implementation plan.

In order to comply with the objectives of the Packaging and Packaging Waste  Directive (94/62/EC), Member States shall take the necessary measures to attain the following targets covering the whole of their territory laid down in the amending Directive (2018/852):

(a)  no later than 31 December 2025 a minimum of 65 % by weight of all packaging waste will be recycled;
(b)  no later than 31 December 2025 the following minimum targets by weight for recycling will be met regarding the following specific materials contained in packaging waste:
     (i) 50 % of plastic;
     (ii) 25 % of wood;
     (iii) 70 % of ferrous metals;
     (iv) 50 % of aluminium;
     (v) 70 % of glass;
     (vi) 75 % of paper and cardboard.
(c) no later than 31 December 2030 a minimum of 70 % by weight of all packaging waste will be recycled;
(d) no later than 31 December 2030 the following minimum targets by weight for recycling will be met regarding the following specific materials contained in packaging waste:
     (i) 55 % of plastic;
     (ii) 30 % of wood;
     (iii) 80 % of ferrous metals;
     (iv) 60 % of aluminium;
     (v) 75 % of glass;
     (vi) 85 % of paper and cardboard.

However, a Member State may postpone the deadlines for attaining the targets referred to in point (b)(i) to (vi) and point (d)(i) to (vi) by up to five years under the following conditions:
(a) the derogation is limited to a maximum of 15 percentage points from a single target or divided between two targets,
(b) as a result of the derogation, the recycling rate for a single target is not reduced below 30 %,
(c) as a result of the derogation, the recycling rate for a single target referred to in point (b)(v) and (vi) and point (d)(v) and (vi) is not reduced below 60 %, and
(d) at the latest 24 months before the respective deadline laid down in point (b) or (d), the Mem-ber State notifies the Commission of its intention to postpone the respective deadline and submits an implementation plan in accordance with Annex IV laid down in the Commission Directive (2018/852).

In Article 11(2)b, the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) sets the following target for the material recovery of construction and demolition waste:

• By 2020, the preparing for re-use, recycling and other material recovery, including backfilling operations using waste to substitute other materials, of non-hazardous construction and demoli-tion waste excluding naturally occurring material defined in category 17 05 04 in the list of waste shall be increased to a minimum of 70 % by weight.

Targets for the collection and for the recycling and recovery of WEEE were established by Directive 2002/96/EC and are increased stepwise by recast Directive (2012/19/EU).

As regards the collection rate, according to Article 7(1) of Directive 2012/19/EU:

• until the reference year 2015, the collection rate to be achieved by each Member State was defined to at least 4 kilograms on average per inhabitant per year of WEEE from private households or the same amount of weight of WEEE as was collected in that Member State on average in the three preceding years, whichever is greater;
• for the reference years 2016, 2017, and 2018, this shall as a minimum be 45% calculated on the basis of the total weight of WEEE collected in a given year in the Member State con-cerned, expressed as a percentage of the average weight of EEE placed on the market in the three preceding years in that Member State;
• from the reference year 2019 onwards, the minimum collection rate to be achieved annu-ally shall be 65 % of the average weight of EEE placed on the market in the three preceding years in the Member State concerned, or alternatively 85 % of WEEE generated on the ter-ritory of that Member State. Member States are free to choose the preferred measurement method.

As regards the minimum targets for recovery and recycling/preparing for reuse for WEEE separately collected, per category of WEEE:

• until the reference year 2015

*Target valid as of 13 August 2012

• for the reference years 2016, 2017, and 2018

• from the reference year 2019 onwards

Note that, since August 2018, the scope of Directive 2012/19/EU has been extended (”open scope”) and that the EEE categories have been redefined and reduced from formerly ten to six categories.

For more information, see this summary document of the Waste electrical and electronic equipment rates and targets.