Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
European metadata about municipal waste reporting obligation according to the Waste Framework Directive and Commission Implementing Decisions 2019/1004/EC and 2019/1885/EC
Reference Metadata in Euro SDMX Metadata Structure (ESMS)
Compiling agency: Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
Municipal reporting obligation is a legally binding EU reporting requirement under the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), following the Directive (EU) 2018/851 updates. The obligations apply to EU countries, and this data is used to verify compliance with EU municipal waste recycling targets. The MWRO also serves to harmonise recycling calculation methods across EU countries, and so other countries are also encouraged to report. As the MWRO applies stricter and more clearly defined calculation rules,
The data were first published in March 2026 for the reference year 2023 and previous years. The comparability of the results across countries is still imperfect, due to the flexibility that Member States have in estimating the information reported. The data includes information on municipal waste generation, treatment, and disposal, as well as quality reports on data collection and quality.
Recycling and preparation for re-use targets for the 27 EU countries (EU-27) are set within Article 11 of the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), to be measured by data reported to Eurostat as governed by Article 37. The 2008 Directive required by 2020 that countries should recycle and prepare for re-use a minimum of 50% of municipal waste materials that include paper, metal, plastic and glass from households, plus other municipal waste materials and sources at the country’s discretion. Performance is measured against one of four calculation methods that countries can select (detailed within 2011/753/EU). In 2018, the targets were raised to 55% by 2025, 60% by 2030, and 65% by 2035 under Directive (EU) 2018/851, and strengthened to be calculated in a single unified way against the total amount of municipal waste (calculation Method 4, thus removing the ‘old rules’ Methods 1, 2 and 3, as detailed in Implementing Decision 2019/1004). In this dataset, we present only the recycling rate calculated using method 4, which has been mandatory for data from 2023 onwards. Data submitted by countries using other methods to calculate the recycling rate are not included in this dataset.
In addition to strengthening of the preparation for reuse and recycling data reporting and performance requirements, the new legislation also required – for the first time – reporting of data to provide a compositional breakdown of municipal waste.
3.2. Classification system
The municipal waste statistics framework applies a multi-layer classification system ensuring harmonised reporting across EU Member States. The system is based on the Waste Framework Directive definitions:
1. Scope classification
Municipal waste includes:
mixed and separately collected waste from households,
waste from other sources similar in nature and composition to household waste.
It excludes waste from:
production activities,
agriculture and forestry,
wastewater and sewage sludge,
end-of-life vehicles,
construction and demolition activities.
2. Material classification
Waste is classified into main material streams, such as:
paper and cardboard,
glass,
metals,
plastics,
bio-waste,
wood,
textiles,
bulky waste,
other waste categories.
This classification follows the List of Waste (LoW) codes to ensure comparability across countries.
3. Treatment classification
Waste is classified according to treatment operations:
Recovery
preparing for reuse,
material recycling,
composting and digestion,
energy recovery,
other recovery operations.
Disposal
incineration without energy recovery,
landfilling,
other disposal operation
3.3. Coverage - sector
The coverage scope of Municipal Waste (MW) data includes all waste generated by households, commercial establishments, and institutions in a country. The scope encompasses all municipal waste collected and treated by local authorities, regardless of its origin, composition, or destination. This includes all waste management activities, from waste generation to disposal, and covers all types of municipal waste. The data provides a comprehensive overview of municipal waste management in a country, enabling monitoring and evaluation of waste policies and strategies.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Municipal waste statistics are compiled in line with Directive 2008/98/EC and related Commission Implementing Decisions, following Eurostat methodological guidance on municipal waste data collection. Municipal waste includes mixed and separately collected waste from households and similar waste from other sources, irrespective of the collection operator. Waste from production activities, agriculture, sewage systems and construction and demolition is excluded.
The main statistical variables observed or derived are:
Municipal waste generated – total mass of municipal waste produced within the national territory (quantitative variable, tonnes);
Separate collection – waste collected separately by material stream (subset of generated waste);
Preparation for re-use and recycling – waste entering reuse or recycling operations (derived variable);
Recovery and disposal – quantities treated through recovery operations or disposal, including landfill and incineration;
Material fractions – categorical variables based mainly on List of Waste (LoW) classifications.
Statistical observations are primarily based on measured waste quantities at defined measurement or calculation points along the waste management chain to ensure harmonised reporting.
Concepts, definitions and calculation rules are aligned with ESS standards and the Eurostat-OECD Joint Questionnaire methodology. No significant conceptual deviations from ESS or international standards are identified at European level; remaining differences mainly relate to practical implementation aspects such as measurement methods or estimation procedure.
3.5. Statistical unit
At the European level, the statistical unit is the country, and data are compiled from national statistics.
3.6. Statistical population
The statistical population refers to the total membership or universe of all entities that generate, collect, and manage municipal waste, including private households, municipalities, waste management facilities, and other relevant units, which is the target population for which information is sought to compile statistics on municipal waste.
3.7. Reference area
All EU member states, EFTA countries, and some candidate countries.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data on the breakdown of municipal waste by fraction and recycling rates have been published for all countries for the reference year 2023, as well as less complete data for 2020-2022. Data covering subsequent years will be added in subsequent annual publications
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
tonnes
kg per capita
%
The reference period is the calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
From reference year 2020 on municipal waste generation and recyling are covered by the Directive (EU) 2018/851 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste (Text with EEA relevance). The variables landfill and incineration without energy recovery are then covered by the Directive (EU) 2018/850 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste (Text with EEA relevance)
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
There is no data sharing with other international organisations; international organisations can use the data as published in the dissemination database.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
In accordance with theRegulation (EC) No 223/2009.
8.1. Release calendar
There is no release calendar, data dissemination is explained in item 9 below.
8.2. Release calendar access
See Eurostat website, release calendar, data releases.
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the European Union legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice, Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
The data will be published annually after validation of the submitted data, unless countries submit significant changes, in which case the data will be published ad hoc.
Reporting countries submit a quality report together with the completed tables. This quality report includes an appropriate description of how the data have been compiled.
11.1. Quality assurance
The quality assurance is a joint responsibility of the Member States and Eurostat. The Member States conduct the data collection and describe their sources and methods in a quality report. Eurostat can make comparisons over the countries and will discuss the issue of comparability with the countries. Concepts, classifications and formats are agreed between Eurostat and the Member States, the countries remain free to choose the sources and collection methods that fit them best.
Eurostat carries out in-depth validations. For details see 18.4
11.2. Quality management - assessment
While the national institutions continue to intensify efforts towards provision of data at the required calculation points, differences in the scope and accuracy of the data exists between countries (for example, availability of preparation for reuse data limited in many countries, losses along the material value chain are not well understood or tracked – especially for countries who export larger proportions of their recyclables). Questions also still remain on the proportion of non-household municipal waste included within scope of the data, from country to country.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The primary user of the data is the European Commission, which monitors the implementation of the Waste Framework Directive. It is also used by the European Commission and countries to calculate recycling rates, as required by Article 11a of the Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives (Text with EEA relevance)).
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
No systematic user satisfaction survey has been conducted.
12.3. Completeness
Reporting is mandatory. The data sets have a high level of completeness. A few data cells are missing.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
See the quality profile 11.1 and 11.2.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Due to the freedom of the countries to choose their methods the non-sampling errors are difficult to summarise at the European level.
14.1. Timeliness
Due to the freedom of the countries to choose their methods the non-sampling errors are difficult to summarise at the European level.
14.2. Punctuality
Countries must submit the data 18 months after the reference period. For reference year 2023, 21 countries submitted the information in time (15 EU Member States).
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The concept of municipal waste includes different waste streams in different municipalities. Especially, the extent to which waste generated by offices and small businesses are included differs from municipality to municipality. Thus, different levels of municipal waste generation can reflect different coverage of the generation of waste, but also differences in the organization of municipal waste management. There is also significant variation among countries in reporting the shares of individual waste fractions. Most countries base this on compositional analysis, including mixed waste. Others report based solely on separately collected waste. In such cases, these streams are marked with a 'D' flag (difference in definition).
15.2. Comparability - over time
The data is comparable over time unless otherwise stated. A break in series flag will be applied to indicate significant changes in methods.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
unicipal waste is only a part of total waste generation; other sources of waste generation are for instance agriculture and industry. Part of the waste generated by the service sector of the economy (e.g. trade, services, restaurants, schools, hospitals) is included in municipal waste. Municipal waste generation data is thus not comparable with the waste collected from households as displaid in Waste Statisticss regulation data.
Additionally, Eurostat together with the OECD conducts surveys based on a joint questionnaire concerning municipal waste. This survey has very long time series. For the year 2023, the data are consistent for many countries.
Waste statistics covering all waste generation from production and consumption activities based on the Regulation on waste statistics are freely available on the Eurostat website: Eurostat's website on waste.
15.4. Coherence - internal
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).
The collection of this information has been integrated into administrative procedures and will in general not produce much extra costs or burden. Additional burdens also include abandoning compositional analysis, but they are also necessary for other purposes, for example, having one's own resources.
17.1. Data revision - policy
All data are supposed to be final unless indicated as provisional. Correction of errors is possible.
17.2. Data revision - practice
The published data shall be regarded as final, unless otherwise stated. Corrections and revisions might occur. Important corrections will be explained in the summary methodology.
Major changes in the methods will be mainly the result of technical progress in waste treatment and be explained in the guidance document
18.1. Source data
urce data refers to the raw statistical data used to compile statistical aggregates. The data sources include surveys, administrative data, multisource processes, and macro-aggregates.
Description of Data Sources
Surveys: Sample design and target population are summarized.
Administrative data: Source, primary purpose, and key data items are described.
Multisource and macro-aggregates: Each data source is described and the combination methodology is explained.
European Level
An overview of data sources used across countries is provided, including a description of data collection methods, definitions, and coverage. The quality and comparability of the data are assessed, highlighting any limitations or areas for improvement.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual
18.3. Data collection
Data collection is done by Member States, usually by the Ministry of Environment or Environmental Protection Agencies. The European Commission (Eurostat) collects data from Member States through a questionnaire that includes data and quality reports. Member States are transmitting data via questionnaires through EDAMIS, which is an electronic data exchange system used for reporting environmental data. The questionnaires are designed to gather specific data on environmental indicators, and the quality reports provide information on the methodology used to collect the data, as well as any limitations or uncertainties associated with the data. The data collection process involves several quality control checks to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data, including checks at the time of data entry to detect any errors or inconsistencies. At the European level, Eurostat summarizes the commonalities and differences in the collection methods, questionnaires, and checks used in different countries to ensure consistency and comparability of the data.
18.4. Data validation
DEurostat performs data validation in close cooperation with Member States' competent authorities.
Certain data format checks are carried out during the data entry into the questionnaire. The validation routines at Eurostat include checks related to consistency, plausibility and development over time, and clarification requests are sent to countries in case of observations.
Methodology reports from countries are consulted during the validation process. In case of revision of data, the Member State transmits a new questionnaire.
18.5. Data compilation
The European aggregates are calculated by adding up the national waste amounts. EU aggregates are compiled when the Member States which have reported data represent 60% of the population and 55% of the number of Member States defining the aggregate; missing data for Member States which did not report are estimated on the basis of the previous year and rounded to the closest thousand.
For the calculation kg waste generate or treated per capita, the national amount of waste is divided by the average population of the relevant year.
The average population for the calculation is taken from the table "Demographic balance and crude rates" (demo_gind, indic_de=AVG) in Eurobase.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
ext to the municipal waste data two other data collections on waste have to be mentioned. One is data on the generation and treatment of waste collected in the framework of the Regulation on waste statistics according to the Waste Statistics Regulation. For this data a time series exists with annual data from 2004 onwards. For the comparability with the concept of waste generated by households see point 15.3 Coherence across domains.
The other collection of waste data concerns information for the monitoring of the effectiveness of certain waste Directives (for instance on packaging waste, end-of-life vehicles and electronic waste)
Municipal reporting obligation is a legally binding EU reporting requirement under the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), following the Directive (EU) 2018/851 updates. The obligations apply to EU countries, and this data is used to verify compliance with EU municipal waste recycling targets. The MWRO also serves to harmonise recycling calculation methods across EU countries, and so other countries are also encouraged to report. As the MWRO applies stricter and more clearly defined calculation rules,
The data were first published in March 2026 for the reference year 2023 and previous years. The comparability of the results across countries is still imperfect, due to the flexibility that Member States have in estimating the information reported. The data includes information on municipal waste generation, treatment, and disposal, as well as quality reports on data collection and quality.
Recycling and preparation for re-use targets for the 27 EU countries (EU-27) are set within Article 11 of the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), to be measured by data reported to Eurostat as governed by Article 37. The 2008 Directive required by 2020 that countries should recycle and prepare for re-use a minimum of 50% of municipal waste materials that include paper, metal, plastic and glass from households, plus other municipal waste materials and sources at the country’s discretion. Performance is measured against one of four calculation methods that countries can select (detailed within 2011/753/EU). In 2018, the targets were raised to 55% by 2025, 60% by 2030, and 65% by 2035 under Directive (EU) 2018/851, and strengthened to be calculated in a single unified way against the total amount of municipal waste (calculation Method 4, thus removing the ‘old rules’ Methods 1, 2 and 3, as detailed in Implementing Decision 2019/1004). In this dataset, we present only the recycling rate calculated using method 4, which has been mandatory for data from 2023 onwards. Data submitted by countries using other methods to calculate the recycling rate are not included in this dataset.
In addition to strengthening of the preparation for reuse and recycling data reporting and performance requirements, the new legislation also required – for the first time – reporting of data to provide a compositional breakdown of municipal waste.
26 March 2026
Municipal waste statistics are compiled in line with Directive 2008/98/EC and related Commission Implementing Decisions, following Eurostat methodological guidance on municipal waste data collection. Municipal waste includes mixed and separately collected waste from households and similar waste from other sources, irrespective of the collection operator. Waste from production activities, agriculture, sewage systems and construction and demolition is excluded.
The main statistical variables observed or derived are:
Municipal waste generated – total mass of municipal waste produced within the national territory (quantitative variable, tonnes);
Separate collection – waste collected separately by material stream (subset of generated waste);
Preparation for re-use and recycling – waste entering reuse or recycling operations (derived variable);
Recovery and disposal – quantities treated through recovery operations or disposal, including landfill and incineration;
Material fractions – categorical variables based mainly on List of Waste (LoW) classifications.
Statistical observations are primarily based on measured waste quantities at defined measurement or calculation points along the waste management chain to ensure harmonised reporting.
Concepts, definitions and calculation rules are aligned with ESS standards and the Eurostat-OECD Joint Questionnaire methodology. No significant conceptual deviations from ESS or international standards are identified at European level; remaining differences mainly relate to practical implementation aspects such as measurement methods or estimation procedure.
At the European level, the statistical unit is the country, and data are compiled from national statistics.
The statistical population refers to the total membership or universe of all entities that generate, collect, and manage municipal waste, including private households, municipalities, waste management facilities, and other relevant units, which is the target population for which information is sought to compile statistics on municipal waste.
All EU member states, EFTA countries, and some candidate countries.
The reference period is the calendar year.
See the quality profile 11.1 and 11.2.
tonnes
kg per capita
%
The European aggregates are calculated by adding up the national waste amounts. EU aggregates are compiled when the Member States which have reported data represent 60% of the population and 55% of the number of Member States defining the aggregate; missing data for Member States which did not report are estimated on the basis of the previous year and rounded to the closest thousand.
For the calculation kg waste generate or treated per capita, the national amount of waste is divided by the average population of the relevant year.
The average population for the calculation is taken from the table "Demographic balance and crude rates" (demo_gind, indic_de=AVG) in Eurobase.
urce data refers to the raw statistical data used to compile statistical aggregates. The data sources include surveys, administrative data, multisource processes, and macro-aggregates.
Description of Data Sources
Surveys: Sample design and target population are summarized.
Administrative data: Source, primary purpose, and key data items are described.
Multisource and macro-aggregates: Each data source is described and the combination methodology is explained.
European Level
An overview of data sources used across countries is provided, including a description of data collection methods, definitions, and coverage. The quality and comparability of the data are assessed, highlighting any limitations or areas for improvement.
The data will be published annually after validation of the submitted data, unless countries submit significant changes, in which case the data will be published ad hoc.
Due to the freedom of the countries to choose their methods the non-sampling errors are difficult to summarise at the European level.
The concept of municipal waste includes different waste streams in different municipalities. Especially, the extent to which waste generated by offices and small businesses are included differs from municipality to municipality. Thus, different levels of municipal waste generation can reflect different coverage of the generation of waste, but also differences in the organization of municipal waste management. There is also significant variation among countries in reporting the shares of individual waste fractions. Most countries base this on compositional analysis, including mixed waste. Others report based solely on separately collected waste. In such cases, these streams are marked with a 'D' flag (difference in definition).
The data is comparable over time unless otherwise stated. A break in series flag will be applied to indicate significant changes in methods.
