In the EU27, 503 kg of municipal waste was generated per person in 2011, while 486 kg of municipal waste was treated per person. This municipal waste was treated in different ways: 37% was landfilled, 23% incinerated, 25% recycled and 15% composted, compared with 56% landfilled, 17% incinerated, 17% recycled and 10% composted in 2001.

The amount of municipal waste generated varies significantly across Member States. Denmark, with 718 kg per person, had the highest amount of waste generated in 2011, followed by Luxembourg, Cyprus and Ireland with values between 600 and 700 kg per person, and Germany, the Netherlands, Malta, Austria, Italy, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Finland with values between 500 and 600 kg. Greece, Portugal, Belgium, Sweden, Lithuania and Slovenia had values between 400 and 500 kg, while values of below 400 kg per person were recorded in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Estonia.

This information is published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Recycling most common in Germany, incineration in Denmark and composting in Austria

The treatment methods differ substantially between Member States. In 2011, the Member States with the highest share of municipal waste landfilled were Romania (99% of waste treated), Bulgaria (94%), Malta (92%), Latvia and Lithuania (both 88%).

The highest shares of incinerated municipal waste were observed in Denmark (54% of waste treated), Sweden (51%), Belgium (42%), Luxembourg and the Netherlands (both 38%), Germany (37%), France and Austria (both 35%).

Recycling was most common in Germany (45% of waste treated), Ireland (37%), Belgium (36%), Slovenia (34%), Sweden (33%), the Netherlands (32%) and Denmark (31%). The Member States with the highest composting rates for municipal waste were Austria (34%), the Netherlands (28%), Belgium and Luxembourg (both 20%), Spain and France (both 18%).

Recycling and composting of municipal waste together accounted for more than 50% of waste treated in Germany (63%), Austria (62%), the Netherlands (61%) and Belgium (57%).