Hungary has missed its recycling targets "by a considerable margin" since 2012, the European Commission said in a report published on September 25.

Hungary was among 14 European Union member states the EC said are at risk of missing the target for recycling half of all waste by 2020, but the country was singled out, together with Malta, for the most sizeable shortfalls. Hungary is the only country to fail to reach the targets since 2012.

The EC has made proposals to help the 14 member states meet their goals in increasing the share of recycled material.

In a follow-up to the report, it will also visit the member states "to discuss the opportunities and challenges" with authorities and stakeholders.

The EC directives set targets for the re-use of electronic equipment, hazardous waste, construction waste sewage sludge, and packaging waste. 

In related news, according to draft legislation, the Hungarian government aims to introduce a HUF38 (€0.11) environmental product fee on plastic bags thicker than 50 microns from the start of next year. 

The bill would also introduce a HUF20 fee on plastic bags between 15 and 50 microns, and a HUF5 fee on plastic bags that are thinner than 15 microns. 

At present, the environmental product fee on plastic shopping bags is HUF1,900 per kilogram, which translates to a couple of forints per bag.

The government is planning to introduce a complete ban from 2021 as the EU is also working on tougher rules to restrict the use of single-use plastic material. The EU wants 55% of all plastic to be recycled by 2030 and for member states to reduce the use of bags per person from 90 a year to 40 by 2026. 

Hungarians use more than 80 plastic bags a year, on average, many of which end up in landfills, the Ministry of Innovation and Technology noted.