Italy, Belgium, Latvia: Which European countries are the best and worst at recycling?

The average EU citizen generated 4.8 tonnes of waste in 2020 - but only 38 per cent of it was recycled. In some member states, more than 60 per cent of household waste still goes to landfill. 

Recycling our rubbish is a crucial way to reduce the consumption of primary resources by replacing them with secondary materials which have already been used at least once.  

As Europe aims for a fully circular economy, how are individual countries doing on waste management? How much waste is generated and recycled per inhabitant in Europe? And which European countries recycle the most?

It’s tricky to sift through the piles of data for answers, but pinning down different definitions helps us to weigh up Europe's waste challenges.

In 2020, the total waste generated in the EU by all economic activities and households amounted to 2,154 million metric tonnes. That is 4,815 kg per person.

Households generated only 9.4 per cent of this trash total.

Construction (37.5 per cent) and mining and quarrying (23.4 per cent) are largely responsible for the waste produced, generating over 60 per cent of total waste in the EU. 

Waste and water services made up 10.8 per cent, and manufacturing accounted for 10.6 per cent.

Germany (401 million tonnes) and France (310 million tonnes) contributed the most to the total amount of waste produced in the EU. As of 2020, these two countries were responsible for one-third of the EU’s waste at 19 and 14 per cent respectively.

The UK (282 million tonnes), a former member of the bloc, produced the third highest amount of waste, followed by Italy (175 million tonnes) and Poland (170 million tonnes).

As mining waste is one of the largest waste streams in the EU, excluding this enables us to more easily compare countries