Policy
Energy and Climate
17 July 2026
Today, the European Commission published its proposal to gradually extend the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to Waste-to-Energy (WtE) facilities (2031-2034).
CEWEP (Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants) calls on co-legislators to ensure the design delivers real climate outcomes for the waste sector.
The European WtE sector is fully committed to decarbonisation and supports the reduction of GHG emissions in the waste sector, as documented in CEWEP’s Climate Roadmap. Nevertheless, we believe that the EU ETS revision should incentivise high environmental performance in line with the waste hierarchy and avoid unintended collateral effects.
WtE plants treat approximately 100 million tonnes of residual waste each year across around 500 facilities in Europe. They provide a public sanitary service the circular economy depends on: treating the non-recyclable waste streams, including rejects from recycling processes, that cannot be prevented or recycled.
As highlighted by the Commission, the inclusion of waste incineration is part of a wider package linked to the forthcoming Circular Economy Act. CEWEP is looking forward to engaging actively with the European Parliament and the Council to define an overall framework that delivers GHG reduction in the waste sector without unintended negative consequences on the environment.
For more information, please see Getting Hot: Will the Revised EU ETS Combat Climate Change While Saving the Environment?
About CEWEP
CEWEP (the Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants) represents operators of Waste-to-Energy facilities across Europe. Its members treat approximately 100 million tonnes of residual waste per year at around 500 plants in 25 countries, recovering energy for heat and electricity supply while enabling material recovery from bottom ash.
Media contacts
17 July 2026: Dr. Ella Stengler, Managing Director | ella.stengler@cewep.eu
20 July 2026: Leen De Bruycker, Technical & Scientific Officer | leen.de.bruycker@cewep.eu
As from 21 July 2026: Fabio Poretti, Head of Science | Energy&Climate | fabio.poretti@cewep.eu
