ZAGREB, 17 February 2021 - Denmark generated the most municipal waste per person in the European Union in 2019 - 844 kilograms, while Croatia generated nearly half as much, ranking alongside Sweden and Latvia, according to data from the EU statistical office Eurostat.
The countries that generated over 600 kg of municipal waste per person were Luxembourg, Malta, Cyprus and Germany.
The EU average was 502 kg per person. Portugal, Greece, France, Finland, Austria and Ireland generated slightly more municipal waste than the average, while the Netherlands, Slovenia, Czechia and Italy were almost level with the average.
At 445 kg of municipal waste per person, Croatia was slightly below the EU average, ranking alongside Sweden and Latvia.
The least amount of municipal waste per person was generated by Bulgaria - 280 kg.
Europeans embrace recycling
In 2019 the amount of recycled waste reached a record 107 million tonnes, or 239 kg per person, nearly tripling since 1995. The amount of incinerated waste doubled to 60 million tonnes, or 134 kg per person.
On the other hand, the amount of landfilled waste more than halved, from 121 million tonnes in 1995 to 54 million tonnes in 2019.
