Regulatory pressure on plastic waste is no longer a distant threat. Between the zero landfill target for 2035 and the entry into force of the PPWR, the European Union has set a timeline that forces waste managers, industry and public authorities to find real alternatives to landfill. Here is what changes and how to get ahead of it.

The 10% cap in 2035

Directive (EU) 2018/850 sets that a maximum of 10% of municipal waste may be sent to landfill by 2035. It is not merely a symbolic target: it also introduces restrictions from 2030 on landfilling any waste suitable for recycling or other forms of recovery, including energy recovery.

For large waste managers, this means that a growing share of the waste sent to landfill today will need another outlet, and that the cost of not doing so will rise year after year.

The PPWR is already in force

Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR) entered into force on 11 February 2025, and its measures start to apply on 12 August 2026. Among its requirements, by 2030 all packaging placed on the market must be recyclable in an economically viable way, alongside new extended producer responsibility obligations.

The result is a framework that penalises non-recovered waste and rewards solutions able to close the loop.

What it means for managers and industry

  • Waste shifts from a technical to a financial liability: every non-recovered tonne is a growing cost.
  • Landfill cost per tonne is rising: the trend is clearly upward across the EU.
  • Greater traceability demands: you must prove what happens to the rejects.
  • An ESG opportunity: recovering waste provides a genuine sustainability and reporting narrative.

How to prepare

Getting ahead means adopting recovery technologies that treat precisely the waste that mechanical recycling cannot absorb. Pyrolysis turns plastic rejects into products with industrial value, reducing dependence on landfill and generating revenue where there used to be only costs.

At Nantek we structure solutions by sector —landfills, industry with captive waste and public authorities— with a range of modular plants tailored to each volume.

Want to assess how this regulation affects your operation? Talk to our team.