The European Commission presented a study on Friday assessing the current separate waste collection schemes in the 28 European Union (EU) member states, with Estonia, Finland, Slovenia rated as top performers.

Separate waste collection is central to the transition to the circular economy, and separate collection of glass, paper, metal and plastic has become obligatory since 2015.

Particular emphasis was given to the best performers which included the Slovenian capital Ljubljana and the Estonian capital Tallinn, according to the study.

In addition, the Commission has proposed, in its ambitious circular economy package, the separate collection of bio-waste and a ban on landfilling separately collected waste.

EU environment commissioner Karmenu Vella welcomed the study, and stated that "only 19 percent of municipal waste is collected separately in our capitals. Eighty percent of waste still ends up in the bin. This means a huge loss of raw materials."

"New member states' performance, with Ljublijana and Tallinn, (in addition to Helsinki) scoring the highest, is proof that where there is political will, things can move fast," said the commissioner. Enditem