This publication forms a section of the Manual of European Environmental Policy, published by IEEP in 2012. This chapter on EU waste policies focuses on the management of waste, the environmental requirements with which waste management installations must comply and the big picture policy initiatives focused on waste. Some of the topics include: reducing waste production; limiting the contaminants entering waste streams; reducing the levels of disposal waste and increasing levels of products reused, recycled and recovered.

The Manual also includes another chapter relevant to reducing the environmental footprint of waste: Chapter 7 – Resources. Here there is also a focus on resource use and product policy, detailing the key measures aimed at preventing waste generation and reducing the use of hazardous materials in products.