The amount of municipal waste generated per person in the European Union (EU) in 2017 amounted to 487 kg, close to the level in 2016 (486 kg per person). In 2014 the figure reached a low point of 478 kg per person and since then there has been an increase in each year.
The amount of municipal waste generated varied significantly across the EU Member States. In five of the 25 countries for which 2017 data are available, more than 600 kg of municipal waste per person was produced: Denmark (781 kg/person), followed by Cyprus (637 kg/person), Germany (633 kg/person), Luxembourg (607 kg/person) and Malta (604 kg/person).
In contrast, there were three countries which generated less than 350 kg of municipal waste per person: Romania (272 kg/person), Poland (315 kg/person) and Czechia (344 kg/person).
The data source is here.
The treatment of municipal waste is undertaken using different methods. Overall in the EU in 2017, 30 % of the waste was recycled, 17 % composted, 28 % incinerated and 24 % landfilled. Ten years ago, in 2007, the picture was different, with 24 % of waste recycled, 13 % composted, 21 % incinerated and 43 % landfilled.
It should be noted that the reporting of municipal waste differs among Member States and may explain some of the variation in the data.
For more information, take a look at the overview of statistics on waste on the Eurostat website.
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