Environment
in the EU28
In
2012, 42% of treated municipal waste was recycled or composted
In
the EU28,
492 kg of municipal waste1
was generated per person in 2012, while 480 kg of municipal waste was
treated2
per person. This municipal waste was treated in different ways3:
34% was landfilled, 24% incinerated, 27% recycled and 15% composted.
For the EU4
there has been a significant increase in the share of municipal waste
recycled or composted, from 18% in 1995 to 42% in 2012.
Share
of treated municipal waste recycled or composted in the EU, 1995-2012
The
amount of municipal waste generated varies significantly across
Member States. Denmark,
with 668 kg per person, had the highest
amount of waste generated in 2012, followed by
Cyprus, Luxembourg
and Germany
with lower amounts but above 600 kg per person and Malta,
Ireland,
Austria,
the Netherlands,
France,
Italy,
Finland and
Greece
with values between 500 and 600 kg. The United
Kingdom, Lithuania,
Spain,
Sweden,
Bulgaria,
Belgium,
Portugal
and Hungary
had values between 400 and 500 kg, while values of below 400 kg per
person were recorded in Croatia,
Romania,
Slovenia, Slovakia,
Poland,
the Czech Republic,
Latvia and
Estonia.
This
information5
is published by Eurostat, the
statistical office of the European Union.
More
than 50% of municipal waste recycled or composted in Germany, Austria
and Belgium
The
treatment methods differ substantially between Member States. In
2012, recycling and composting of municipal waste together accounted
for more than 50% of waste treated in Germany
(65% of waste treated),
Austria (62%) and Belgium
(57%). Recycling and composting was also the major part of waste
treatment in the Netherlands
(50%), Luxembourg
(47%), the United Kingdom
(46%), Ireland
(45%) and France
(39%). In Finland
composting & recycling and incineration had equal shares (both
34%).
Observing
the treatment methods separately, recycling was most common in
Germany
(47% of waste treated), Slovenia
(42%), Ireland
(37%), Belgium
(36%), Estonia
(34%), Denmark
and Sweden (both
32%), and composting in Austria
(34%), the Netherlands
(26%), Belgium (21%),
Luxembourg (19%), Germany
and the
United Kingdom (both 18%).
The
highest shares of municipal waste landfilled were recorded in Romania
(99% of waste treated), Malta
(87%), Croatia
(85%), Latvia
(84%) and Greece
(82%), and of incinerated municipal waste in Denmark
and Sweden
(both 52%),
the Netherlands
(49%), Belgium
(42%), Luxembourg
(36%), Germany
and Austria
(both 35%), Finland
(34%) and France
(33%).
Municipal
waste, 2012
|
|
Municipal
waste generated,
kg per person |
Total
municipal waste treated,
kg per person |
Municipal
waste treated, %
|
||||
|
Recycled
& composted
|
Recycled
|
Composted
|
Landfilled
|
Incinerated
|
|||
|
EU28
|
492
|
480
|
42
|
27
|
15
|
34
|
24
|
|
Belgium
|
456
|
458
|
57
|
36
|
21
|
1
|
42
|
|
Bulgaria
|
460
|
433
|
27
|
24
|
3
|
73
|
0
|
|
Czech
Republic
|
308
|
308
|
24
|
21
|
3
|
57
|
20
|
|
Denmark
|
668
|
668
|
45
|
32
|
13
|
3
|
52
|
|
Germany
|
611
|
610
|
65
|
47
|
18
|
0
|
35
|
|
Estonia
|
279
|
220
|
40
|
34
|
6
|
44
|
16
|
|
Ireland
|
570
|
570
|
45
|
37
|
8
|
39
|
16
|
|
Greece
|
503
|
493
|
18
|
16
|
2
|
82
|
0
|
|
Spain
|
464
|
464
|
27
|
17
|
10
|
63
|
10
|
|
France
|
534
|
534
|
39
|
23
|
16
|
28
|
33
|
|
Croatia
|
391
|
381
|
16
|
14
|
2
|
85
|
0
|
|
Italy
|
529
|
523
|
38
|
24
|
14
|
41
|
20
|
|
Cyprus
|
663
|
663
|
21
|
12
|
9
|
79
|
0
|
|
Latvia
|
301
|
301
|
16
|
14
|
2
|
84
|
0
|
|
Lithuania
|
469
|
458
|
21
|
19
|
2
|
79
|
1
|
|
Luxembourg
|
662
|
662
|
47
|
28
|
19
|
18
|
36
|
|
Hungary
|
402
|
402
|
26
|
21
|
5
|
65
|
9
|
|
Malta
|
589
|
559
|
13
|
9
|
4
|
87
|
0
|
|
Netherlands
|
551
|
551
|
50
|
24
|
26
|
2
|
49
|
|
Austria
|
552
|
528
|
62
|
28
|
34
|
3
|
35
|
|
Poland
|
314
|
249
|
25
|
13
|
12
|
75
|
1
|
|
Portugal
|
453
|
453
|
27
|
12
|
15
|
54
|
20
|
|
Romania
|
389
|
313
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
99
|
0
|
|
Slovenia
|
362
|
301
|
47
|
42
|
5
|
51
|
2
|
|
Slovakia
|
324
|
313
|
13
|
6
|
7
|
77
|
10
|
|
Finland
|
506
|
506
|
34
|
22
|
12
|
33
|
34
|
|
Sweden
|
462
|
462
|
47
|
32
|
15
|
1
|
52
|
|
United
Kingdom
|
472
|
465
|
46
|
28
|
18
|
37
|
17
|
|
Iceland
|
338
|
338
|
42
|
36
|
6
|
50
|
7
|
|
Norway
|
477
|
467
|
40
|
26
|
14
|
2
|
57
|
|
Switzerland
|
694
|
694
|
50
|
35
|
15
|
0
|
50
|
|
Former
Yug. Rep of Macedonia
|
381
|
381
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
100
|
-
|
|
Serbia
|
364
|
254
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
100
|
0
|
|
Turkey
|
390
|
329
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
99
|
0
|
|
Bosnia
and Herzegovina
|
346
|
284
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
100
|
-
|
Data
for Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, Turkey and
Bosnia and Herzegovina are estimated.
0
equals less than 0.5%
"-"
indicates a real zero
- 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. Waste
from agriculture and industry is not included.
- The reported quantities of waste generated and treated do not match exactly for some Member States, for the following reasons: estimates for the population not covered by collection schemes, weight losses due to dehydration, double counts of waste undergoing two or more treatment steps, exports and imports of waste and time lags between generation and treatment (temporary storage).
- Waste treatment refers to the following methods:
Landfill
means 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, except use as fuel.
Composting
means the biological treatment (anaerobic or aerobic) of
biodegradable
matter resulting in a recoverable product.
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.
4. Data
refer to EU27 until 2007 and to EU28 from 2008 until 2012
5. For
further information, please visit the web site of Eurostat, under
Statistics / Environment / Environmental
Data Centre on Waste.
Issued
by: Eurostat Press Office
Louise
CORSELLI-NORDBLAD
Tel: +352-4301-33
444
Eurostat
news releases on the internet: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
For further
information on data:
Hartmut SCHRÖR
Tel: +352-4301-35
433
Karin BLUMENTHAL
Tel: +352-4301-32
308
