Inclusion of Waste Incinerators and Landfills in the EU ETS

A coalition of trade associations, businesses, and NGOs argues that excluding waste incinerators and landfills from the EU ETS creates distorted price signals and undermines circular economy goals. They call on the Commission to use its mandate under Article 30(7) of the EU ETS Directive to propose the inclusion of these sectors by 2026 for implementation in 2028, noting that incineration emits over 95 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent annually and landfills produce potent methane emissions.

• The exclusion of waste incinerators and landfills from the EU ETS is viewed as a contradiction of EU waste hierarchy principles and a hindrance to climate and circular economy objectives.
• Waste incineration produces more than 95 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent every year, and landfills emit methane, which is 80 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period.
• The coalition argues that including these sectors in the EU ETS would create a price signal to discourage the destruction of materials and improve the economic incentive for recycling and reuse investments.
• The authors request that the Commission follow Article 30(7) of the EU ETS Directive to propose the inclusion of municipal waste incineration and landfills in the system from 2028, with the proposal presented in 2026.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (n.d.). Inclusion of Waste Incinerators and Landfills in the EU ETS. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/joint-letter_Inclusion-of-Waste-Incinerators-and-Landfills-in-the-EU-ETS.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Inclusion of Waste Incinerators and Landfills in the EU ETS. n.d. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/joint-letter_Inclusion-of-Waste-Incinerators-and-Landfills-in-the-EU-ETS.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Inclusion of Waste Incinerators and Landfills in the EU ETS |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/joint-letter_Inclusion-of-Waste-Incinerators-and-Landfills-in-the-EU-ETS.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{carbonmarketwatchndinclusion, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Inclusion of Waste Incinerators and Landfills in the EU ETS}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/joint-letter_Inclusion-of-Waste-Incinerators-and-Landfills-in-the-EU-ETS.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }