Towards a recycling society – National Waste Plan for 2016 is a Government-approved strategy covering the principles, aims and objectives of waste management and prevention of waste generation for 2016, and the measures required for achieving the aims. The main aim of the waste policy is to prevent the generation of waste and to reduce its harmful health and environmental impacts. The Plan incorporates the Finland’s national waste prevention programme and seven other overlapping objectives for waste management sectors. The aims of the Waste Plan and the main steering methods for achieving them are grouped under the objectives. The aim of the Plan is to achieve a decline in the amount of municipal waste by the year 2016. Furthermore, the aim is to achieve a situation in which 50% of all municipal waste is recycled as material and 30% used as energy. A maximum of 20% of the waste would end up at landfills. The Plan also proposes that industrial sectors would in their sector-specific material-efficiency agreements set targets for reducing specific waste volumes and increasing recycling rates.