Czechs generated the least amount of municipal waste per person in the EU-27, but had one of the worst rates of recycling and composting, figures from Eurostat showed.
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, according to Eurostat’s definition.
“In the EU-27, 513 kg of municipal waste was generated per person in 2009. The amount generated per person varied from 316 kg in the Czech Republic and Poland to 833 kg in Denmark,” Eurostat said. “On average in the EU-27, 504 kg of municipal waste was treated per person in 2009. Municipal waste was treated in different ways: 38 percent was landfilled, 20 percent incinerated, 24 percent recycled and 18 percent composted.”
The EU statistical arm noted that the discrepancy between waste generated and treated had to do with factors including dehydration, storage, exports and people not covered by collection programs. In the Czech Republic, 83 percent of treated waste was landfilled, 12 percent was incinerated, and only 2 percent was recycled and 2 percent was composted. ‘The amount generated per person varied from 316 kg in the Czech Republic and Poland to 833 kg in Denmark.’
“Recycling was most common in Germany (48 percent of waste treated), Belgium and Sweden (both 36 percent), [and] Slovenia and Denmark (both 34 percent). … The Member States with the highest composting rates for municipal waste were Austria (40 percent), Italy (32 percent), [and] the Netherlands (28 percent),” the report said.
“In seven Member States, less than 10 percent of waste was recycled or composted,” the Eurostat report said. The combined total for the Czech Republic was 4 percent. Bulgaria and Romania, at zero and 1 percent respectively, had the lowest levels. Malta and Lithuania tied with the Czech Republic.
The report added that in 2009, the EU member states with the highest share of municipal waste landfilled were Bulgaria (100 percent of waste treated), Romania (99 percent), Malta (96 percent), Lithuania (95 percent), and Latvia (92 percent).
The highest shares of incinerated municipal waste were in Sweden (49 percent), Denmark (48 percent), the Netherlands (39 percent), Luxembourg (36 percent), Belgium (35 percent) and Germany and France (with 34 percent). In 10 Member States incineration was equal to or below 1 percent.
Waster generated per person (kg) | Waste treated per person (kg) | Landfilled % | Incinerated % | Recycled % | Composted % | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EU-27 | 513 | 504 | 38 | 20 | 24 | 18 |
Belgium | 491 | 486 | 5 | 35 | 36 | 24 |
Bulgaria | 468 | 450 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Czech Republic | 316 | 274 | 83 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
Denmark | 833 | 833 | 4 | 48 | 34 | 14 |
Germany | 587 | 564 | 0 | 34 | 48 | 18 |
Estonia | 346 | 285 | 75 | 0 | 14 | 11 |
Ireland | 742 | 730 | 62 | 3 | 32 | 4 |
Greece | 478 | 474 | 82 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
Spain | 547 | 547 | 52 | 9 | 15 | 24 |
France | 536 | 536 | 32 | 34 | 18 | 16 |
Italy | 541 | 594 | 45 | 12 | 11 | 32 |
Cyprus | 778 | 778 | 86 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
Latvia | 333 | 33 | 92 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Lithuania | 360 | 342 | 95 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Luxembourg | 707 | 707 | 17 | 36 | 27 | 20 |
Hungary | 430 | 427 | 75 | 10 | 13 | 2 |
Malta | 647 | 643 | 96 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Netherlands | 616 | 520 | 1 | 39 | 32 | 28 |
Austria | 591 | 591 | 1 | 29 | 30 | 40 |
Poland | 316 | 264 | 78 | 1 | 14 | 7 |
Portugal | 488 | 488 | 62 | 19 | 8 | 12 |
Romania | 396 | 308 | 99 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Slovenia | 449 | 495 | 62 | 1 | 34 | 2 |
Slovakia | 339 | 311 | 82 | 10 | 2 | 6 |
Finland | 481 | 481 | 46 | 18 | 24 | 12 |
Sweden | 485 | 480 | 1 | 49 | 36 | 14 |
UK | 529 | 538 | 48 | 11 | 26 | 14 |
Iceland | 554 | 520 | 73 | 11 | 14 | 2 |
Norway | 473 | 467 | 14 | 42 | 28 | 16 |
Switzerland | 706 | 706 | 0 | 49 | 34 | 17 |
Source: Eurostat |