In most countries the amounts of total waste generated (i.e. all sources of waste) continue to increase generally in line with population and economic growth. Only a few countries (such as Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain) have managed to relatively decouple their total waste generation from economic growth. The amounts of waste produced, their composition and their origin vary among countries; they relate to the structure of the economy and the level of investment in innovation and cleaner technologies.
During the 1990s, municipal solid waste generated in the OECD area has risen mostly in line with private consumption expenditure and GDP. As of the mid-2000s, this rise has been slowing down. The amount and composition of municipal waste vary widely among OECD countries; this is linked to levels and patterns of consumption, urbanisation rates, income levels, lifestyles, and national waste management practices.
In 2022, the quantity of municipal solid waste generated exceeded an estimated 732 million tonnes. A person living in the OECD area generated about 531 kg of municipal waste per year; this is 34 kg more than in 1990, but 12 kg less than in 2000. On average, Europeans generate less than people living in the Americas, but more than people living in the OECD Asia-Oceania region. It is estimated that worldwide, about 2.1 billion tonnes of municipal waste were generated in 2020 (about 277 kg per person) and that without further action this number will grow to 3.8 billion by 2050 (UNEP, 2024).
More and more waste is being diverted from landfills and incinerators and fed back into the economy through recovery and recycling. Mechanical and biological pre-treatment is increasingly used to facilitate recovery, enhance incineration efficiency, and reduce the amounts being landfilled. Manufacturers and importers are increasingly encouraged or required to accept responsibility for their products after the point of sale, through so-called “extended producer responsibility” or “product stewardship”. The European Union, Japan and other countries have introduced recycling targets and monitor progress through indicators.
The share of municipal solid waste landfilled in the OECD area has decreased from an estimated 53% to 41% between 2000 and 2022, with some countries no longer using landfills (Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Japan). Yet landfilling remains the main waste disposal method in several countries (e.g. in the OECD America region).
The recovery of waste through recycling, composting and incineration with energy recovery shows an encouraging increase since 2000 across the OECD area. Several countries now recycle more than one third of the municipal waste they manage (Belgium, Germany, Korea, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia).
Waste from electrical and electronic equipment (i.e. e-waste) is one of the fastest growing and most complex waste streams in the world, affecting both human health and the environment, and proliferating a loss of valuable raw materials. The amount of per person electronic equipment put on the market, related e-waste generated, electrical and collected in the past decade, has been steadily increasing in almost all OECD countries. Per person values for materials put on the market is particularly high (over 30 kg/person) for countries such as Australia, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway. Only a fraction of the e-waste generated is collected. For example, while 27.6 kg/person were put on the market in 2020 in the European Union, only 10.5 kg/person were collected. Rates of recycling vary across countries and are only available for European countries in recent years. Rates of recycling in European countries vary between 62% and 92% of the per person collected e-waste, resulting in low rates of recycling compared to the amounts generated. It is estimated that worldwide only 22.3% of 2022’s e-waste generated was collected and recycled (ITU, 2024).
The amount of plastic and ferrous waste generated has increased considerably in most OECD countries during the past 10 years. During this period, waste generated per person has decreased in only 38% of countries for which there is data for ferrous materials, and 21% for plastic. The rate of increase varies considerably across countries, from less than 10% to over 100%. Amounts generated per person also vary significantly across countries, from 10kg per person in Chile to 382kg in Czechia for ferrous waste and from 3kg per person in Chile to 100kg in Australia for plastic waste. Little information is available on the management of these waste streams. In Europe, incineration with energy recovery is the most used way to dispose of plastic waste (about 43% in 2018), followed by recycling (about 32.5%) and landfilling (about 25%). Moreover, half of the plastic collected for recycling is exported to be treated in countries outside the EU (EP, 2024).
