Recycling in Luxembourg rises, but hybrid packaging poses problems

The familiar blue Valorlux bag has become a fixture in every household, collecting plastics, metal packaging and drink cartons for nearly three decades.

But not everything in the bag can be recycled. Around 10–15% of its contents consist of materials that are technically almost impossible to process. Compared with the rest of Europe, Luxembourg sits mid-table on recycling performance. The EU, however, has set an ambitious target: by 2030, 70% of packaging must be recycled.

Four years ago, Valorlux extended a pilot project across the country, allowing more types of packaging to be placed in the bags. Director Claude Turping told RTL that from 2021 to 2024, this expansion led to around 2,000 additional tonnes being collected for recycling, which is clear proof that the initiative works. At the same time, the proportion of non-recyclable items, known as "sorting residues", has risen slightly from 10% to 12%, Turping explained.

The main troublemakers

Despite efforts to separate waste, households still frequently put the wrong items in the blue bags. Problematic examples include multi-material packaging like crisp packets, black plastic, polystyrene, or even medicine packaging, all of which cannot be processed, Turping said.

He pointed out that the packaging industry itself has changed: today there are far more cardboard and paper items coated with plastic, such as takeaway food trays or disposable cups. While once made of pure plastic, these new hybrid materials are unfortunately not recyclable and end up being incinerated, Turping explained.

He added that confusion is common, especially with tricky items. For example, people often ask whether animal feed bags are acceptable, but these are usually multi-material too and therefore not recyclable, he noted.

However, Turping does not see widespread ignorance or lack of motivation; on the contrary, the volume collected is rising by about 5% each year, outpacing population growth.

No breakdown in the chain

According to Turping, mistakes do not cause major problems for the recycling chain. Non-recyclables are removed and processed separately, converted into a substitute fuel that is later used in Luxembourg's cement industry, which represents a form of thermal recovery.

Reaching the EU's 70% target by 2030 is seen as achievable, but Turping emphasised that the real effort has to start with packaging design itself, adding that products need to be made recyclable from the outset.

Turping explained further that on Valorlux's side, a new contract with Hein Déchets, the sorting operator, will include investments in the processing plant next year to improve capacity. With these combined steps, he expressed confidence that Luxembourg can reach the 70% goal.

The 2030 target and the deposit debate

Plastics remain the weakest link. One option being discussed is a deposit system for single-use bottles if the 80% collection rate required by next year is not met.

Turping argued, however, that this would be difficult to implement in Luxembourg, as around 90% of drinks consumed in the country are imported from Belgium. He explained that a deposit system introduced only in Luxembourg would either require every single bottle to be relabelled – an enormous logistical task – or force the country to accept all bottles of a given type, which could allow commuters and tourists to return bottles bought abroad and reclaim deposits in Luxembourg.

Turping concluded that even if a deposit system were introduced, Valorlux would still remain a central part of Luxembourg's recycling system.