In the EU27, 524 kg of municipal waste1 was generated per person in 2008. 40% of this municipal waste was
landfilled2, 20% incinerated, 23% recycled and 17% composted. The average amount of waste generated in the
EU27 was virtually unchanged from 2007 (525 kg per person).
This information3 is published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
Municipal waste generated per person varied from 306 kg in the Czech Republic to 802 kg in
Denmark
The amount of municipal waste1 generated varies significantly across Member States. This variation is mainly due
to different consumption behaviour, and to a lesser extent to the inclusion, by certain Member States, of waste
generated not only by households but also by small businesses and public institutions.
More than 700 kg of municipal waste per person was generated in 2008 in Denmark, Ireland, Cyprus and
Luxembourg. Malta, the Netherlands and Austria had values between 600 and 700 kg per person and
Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, Italy, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom between 500 and 600 kg
per person. The next group of Member States included Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Hungary,
Portugal and Slovenia with values between 400 and 500 kg per person. The lowest values of below 400 kg per
person were found in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Between 60% and 70% of municipal waste recycled or composted in Austria, Germany and the
Netherlands
The treatment methods differ substantially between Member States. In 2008, the Member States with the highest
share of municipal waste landfilled were Bulgaria (100% of waste treated), Romania (99%), Malta (97%),
Lithuania (96%), and Latvia (93%).
The highest shares of incinerated municipal waste were observed in Denmark (54% of waste treated), Sweden
(49%), the Netherlands (39%), Belgium and Luxembourg (both 36%), Germany (35%) and France (32%). In ten
Member States, incineration was equal to or below 1%.
Recycling and composting of municipal waste was most common in Austria (70% of waste treated), Germany
(65%), the Netherlands (60%) and Belgium (59%). In seven Member States less than 10% of waste was recycled
or composted.
The importance of these two treatment categories varies considerably between Member States. The Member
States with the highest recycling rates for municipal waste were Germany (48% of waste treated), Belgium and
Sweden (both 35%), Ireland and the Netherlands (both 32%) and Slovenia (31%). Composting of municipal
waste was most common in Austria (40%), Italy (34%), the Netherlands (27%), Belgium (25%), Spain and
Luxembourg (both 20%).
Municipal waste, 2008
|
|
Municipal waste generated, kg per person |
Municipal waste treated, % |
|||
|
Landfilled |
Incinerated |
Recycled |
Composted |
||
|
EU27 |
524 |
40 |
20 |
23 |
17 |
|
Belgium |
493 |
5 |
36 |
35 |
25 |
|
Bulgaria |
467 |
100 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Czech Republic |
306 |
83 |
13 |
2 |
2 |
|
Denmark |
802 |
4 |
54 |
24 |
18 |
|
Germany |
581 |
1 |
35 |
48 |
17 |
|
Estonia |
515 |
75 |
0 |
18 |
8 |
|
Ireland |
733 |
62 |
3 |
32 |
3 |
|
Greece |
453 |
77 |
0 |
21 |
2 |
|
Spain |
575 |
57 |
9 |
14 |
20 |
|
France |
543 |
36 |
32 |
18 |
15 |
|
Italy |
561 |
44 |
11 |
11 |
34 |
|
Cyprus |
770 |
87 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
|
Latvia |
331 |
93 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
|
Lithuania |
407 |
96 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
|
Luxembourg |
701 |
19 |
36 |
25 |
20 |
|
Hungary |
453 |
74 |
9 |
15 |
2 |
|
Malta |
696 |
97 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
Netherlands |
622 |
1 |
39 |
32 |
27 |
|
Austria |
601 |
3 |
27 |
29 |
40 |
|
Poland |
320 |
87 |
1 |
9 |
4 |
|
Portugal |
477 |
65 |
19 |
9 |
8 |
|
Romania |
382 |
99 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Slovenia |
459 |
66 |
1 |
31 |
2 |
|
Slovakia |
328 |
83 |
10 |
3 |
5 |
|
Finland |
522 |
50 |
17 |
25 |
8 |
|
Sweden |
515 |
3 |
49 |
35 |
13 |
|
United Kingdom |
565 |
55 |
10 |
23 |
12 |
Data for the EU27, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania, Portugal and the United Kingdom are estimated.
- Municipal waste consists to a large extent of waste generated by households, but may also include similar wastes generated by small businesses and public institutions and collected by the municipality; this part of municipal waste may vary from municipality to municipality and from country to country, depending on the local waste management system.For areas not covered by a municipal waste collection scheme the amount of waste generated is estimated. Wastes from agriculture and industry are not included.
- Landfill is defined as the depositing of waste into or onto land, including specially engineered landfill and temporary storage of over one year.
Incineration means thermal treatment of waste in an incineration plant.
Recycling means any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances whether for the original or other purposes.
Composting is the treatment of biodegradable matter.
In principle, data on treated municipal waste only refer to waste treated within the Member State, and does not take into account waste exported for treatment. However, recycling capacities may be limited in small countries. Luxembourg is a case where recycled amounts include exports. - For further information, please visit the web site of Eurostat, under Statistics / Environment / Environmental Data Centre on Waste.
Bron : Eurostat