In accordance with the European waste directive, Slovakia should recycle at least 55% of its municipal waste by 2025. By 2035, the number should grow to 65%.
According to the Institute of Environmental Policy (IEP), the recycling rate in Slovakia was at the level of 39% in 2019. Recycling has tripled since 2005. However, according to the document, this is mainly due to a change in reporting and only to a lesser extent to the actual development of recycling.
Also according to the directive, Slovakia should also recycle at least 65% of packaging waste by 2025. It also sets targets for the recycling of packaging made of specific materials. The minimum recycling targets are 50% for plastic, 25% for wood, 70% for ferrous metals and 50% for aluminum. In addition, 70% of glass and 75% of paper and cardboard packaging is to be recycled. According to the Ministry of the Environment, at least 70% by weight of all packaging waste should be recycled by 2030.
With the aim of fulfilling these goals, the Environment Ministry prepared the Waste Management Program for the years 2021 to 2025. It envisages the support of technologies for waste sorting and recycling. The Ministry is also preparing the so-called loan packages for the construction of sorting lines and recycling capacities. According to the Ministry's press department, these are mainly sorting lines that can optimize the entire waste sorting process and will save producers' costs in the future. Compared to manual sorting, it is a more efficient waste sorting system.
