Household hazardous waste may represent only a small share of municipal waste, but its impact is significant. Everyday products such as paints, solvents, adhesives, oils, cleaning agents and pesticides pose risks to human health, the environment, workers and recycling processes when they are not properly collected and treated separately.
If hazardous substances enter mixed waste or recycling streams, they can contaminate materials, reduce the quality of secondary raw materials and undermine circular economy efforts. These risks led to the introduction of mandatory separate collection requirements in January 2025 under the revised EU Waste Framework Directive. While this policy shift marks an important step forward, municipalities and waste operators continue to face significant implementation challenges.
ISWA has supported the joint declaration “It’s not all about tonnage!”, co-developed by FEAD, ACR+ and Hazardous Waste Europe under the Hazards Out! initiative, which calls for stronger implementation of separate collection systems for household hazardous waste.
The declaration highlights four key priorities: better data collection and monitoring, fair recognition of the true costs of household hazardous waste management, stronger citizen awareness, and dedicated training for local authorities and waste operators. It also emphasises the need for investment in infrastructure, innovation, and stronger coordination across the value chain to ensure safe and efficient management.
At the same time, effective household hazardous waste management must go hand in hand with efforts to prevent waste generation and reduce the use of hazardous substances, as key elements of a circular economy.
For ISWA, the message is clear: effective waste management is not only about tonnage. Small but high-risk waste streams require targeted action, adequate financing and professional expertise. Addressing these challenges is essential to safeguard recycling systems and ensuring that circular economy objectives are not compromised by hazardous contamination.
By supporting this declaration, ISWA joins partners across Europe in calling for safer, better–resourced and more effective household hazardous waste collection systems that protect people, the environment and the quality of recycling.
