ACR+

Bulky waste includes furniture, mattresses, upholstery, garden and outdoor or other large fixtures and fittings, representing a European generation of 19 Mt/year. More than 60% of bulky waste is currently landfilled in the EU. This is a challenging stream because many products managed as bulky waste are composite products, that require a dismantlement process to allow the recovery of the various materials. Other challenges are the lack of stringent regulation, and the lack of market outcomes due to, amongst others, the inexistence of cost-effective valorisation methods.

The URBANREC guidelines on new approaches for the valorisation of urban bulky waste provides an overview of the organisational approach and good practices for sound bulky waste management, as well the results of the URBANREC project in terms of innovative practicves and demonstrators, an impact assessment of those practices, and a series of recommendations to improve bulky waste management at European level.