The coronavirus crisis has put the resilience of our society to the test. This health emergency exerts unprecedented pressure on many economic activities, including those that are indispensable to our wellbeing. Protecting lives and livelihoods is at the core of all actions and decisions to address the crisis at both individual and collective levels. Proper waste management is part of the essential services to our society. Each person produces nearly half a tonne of municipal waste per year in the EU on average, which means that every week more than 20 kg of municipal waste is generated per household. Total annual waste generation in the EU amounts to 5 tonnes per capita. Preventing distortions in waste management, including separate collection and recycling of waste, is crucial for the health and safety of our citizens, for the environment and for the economy. Member States and waste operators across the EU are making sustained efforts to ensure the continuity of waste management activities, including separate collection and recycling, which are essential to the circular economy. These efforts often involve preventing or reducing disruptions due to shortage of staff, ensuring enhanced health and safety at work, providing for safe handling of household waste produced by citizens that have fallen ill with the coronavirus, dealing with increasing quantities of medical waste or securing the smooth movement of waste from collection to recycling or other treatment. EU law on waste recognises that protection of human health is essential in the context of waste management and that there are certain flexibilities to respond to identified risks to human health. While In this unprecedented crisis, we are working with the Member States and waste operators across the EU to address the challenge of ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the environment. Proper waste management is part of the essential services underpinning the well-being of our citizens delivered by numerous companies dealing with waste and keeping the circular economy going. 2 1. ontext of the coronavirus outbreak. 

Find out how to manage waste in time of Covid here

https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/waste_management_guidance_dg-env.pdf