France's National Waste Reduction Programme

France set up a Waste Prevention Action Plan in 2004. The Grenelle legislation adopted in August 2009 outlined further waste prevention measures, along with a target to reduce per capita ordinary household waste. This objective has now been met.

Waste prevention is of crucial importance for society. Reducing waste is the responsibility of each and every individual, and calls for commitment and action by all. The French National Waste Prevention Programme 2014-2020 was adopted on 18 August 2014.

Since then many steps have been taken to prevent waste under a series of laws:

•  the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act, the Consumer Products Act;
• the Food Wastage Act, the Biodiversity Act, and others. All of these laws have bolstered action to prevent generation of waste.

This overview for 2016 provides figures and explanatory remarks, and reviews prevention activities carried out by territorial authorities, businesses, companies and not-for-profit groups, both locally and nationally.