Brussels, 23/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - In 2014, the production of municipal waste fell in the EU and the recycling rate rose, but large variations in member states' performance and waste treatment methods paint a more gloomy picture, according to figures released by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, on Wednesday 23 March.
Virtually all of this waste has been processed, but incineration and landfill are still very widely practised in some countries, despite these treatment methods being the least advisable in the hierarchy of European waste treatment options and against the flow of the EU's target of moving in the direction of a circular economy.
In 2014, each inhabitant of the EU generated an average of 475 kg of municipal waste (compared with 481 kg/person in 2013 and 492 kg/person in 2012), in other words 10% less than the high of 527 kg reached in 2002. The constant downward trend in waste generation since 2007 has continued to reach a level below that of the mid-1990s.
Recycling and composting rose at a constant rate over this same period. In 2014, the proportion of municipal waste that was recycled or composted in the EU was 44% (compared with 43% in 2013, 42% in 2012 and 18% in 1995).
Of the 475 kg of municipal waste generated per person, 465 kg was processed. Some 28% of processed waste was dumped in landfill sites (compared with 31% in 2013), 27% was incinerated (compared with 24% in 2013), 28% was recycled (compared with 27% in 2013) and 16% was composted (compared with 15% in 2013).
In 2014, Denmark remained at the top of the waste generation league with 759 kg/person (compared with 747 kg in 2013 and 668 kg in 2012), well ahead of Cyprus, Germany and Luxembourg (which were also leaders with more than 600 kg/person). Next come Malta, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands, France and Greece (between 500 and 600 kg/person), followed by Italy, the United Kingdom, Finland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Lithuania, Slovenia, (between 400 and 500 kg), Croatia, Hungary, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland and Romania (less than 400 kg).
The highest incineration rates (more than half of treated waste) were recorded in Denmark (54%), Finland and Sweden (50% ex aequo). The top of the league for landfill are Latvia (92%), Malta (88%), Croatia (83%), Romania (82% in 2013), Greece (81% in 2013, Slovakia (76%), Cyprus (75%) and Bulgaria (50%).
Slovenia and Germany kept their places at the top of the recycling league table with 49% of treated waste (compared with 55% in 2013 for Slovenia) and 47% (no change in 2014 for Germany). In 2014, composting was most widespread in Austria (32% compared with 35% in the previous year) followed by the Netherlands (27% compared with 26%), Belgium (21%, no change) and Luxembourg (18% compared with 20%).
Adding together recycled and composted waste, Germany takes the lead with 64% of processed waste), followed by Slovenia (61%), Austria (58%), Belgium (55%) and the Netherlands (51%). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)