The amount of municipal waste generated varies significantly across Member States. More than 750 kg per person was generated in 2007 in Denmark, Ireland and Cyprus. Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands had values between 600 and 750 kg per person and Austria, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Estonia, Sweden and Finland between 500 and 600 kg. The next group of Member States included Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia and Lithuania with values between 400 and 500 kg of municipal waste per person. The lowest values of below 400 kg per person were found in Romania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Highest share of municipal waste recycled in Germany, Belgium and Sweden
The treatment methods differ substantially between Member States. In 2007, the Member States with the highest share of municipal waste landfilled were Bulgaria (100% of waste treated), Romania (99%), Lithuania (96%), Malta (93%) and Poland (90%).
The highest shares of incinerated municipal waste were observed in Denmark (53%), Luxembourg and Sweden (both 47%), the Netherlands (38%), France (36%), Germany (35%) and Belgium (34%). Eleven Member States had no incineration at all.
The Member States with the highest recycling rates for municipal waste were Germany (46%), Belgium (39%), Sweden (37%), Estonia and Ireland (both 34%).
Composting of municipal waste was most common in Austria (38%), Italy (33%), Luxembourg and the Netherlands (both 28%), and not done at all in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania.
Composting and recycling accounted for over 50% of municipal waste treated in Germany (64%), Belgium (62%), the Netherlands (60%) and Austria (59%).
