Thus, in 2022, an average person in the European Union produced 513 kilograms of municipal waste, 19 kilograms or 4% less than in 2021 (532 kilograms), but 46 kilograms more than in 1995 (467 kilograms).
The amount of municipal waste varies greatly between EU Member States. In 2022, the "champions" for municipal waste generation in the EU are Austria (827 kg per person) and Denmark (787 kg). At the opposite pole are the Romanians who in 2022 produced "only" 301 kilograms of municipal waste per capita, slightly down from 302 kilograms of municipal waste/capita produced in 2021.
When it comes to recycling, Eurostat data shows a decrease in the amount of waste recycled in the EU to an average of 249 kg per capita in 2022, from an average of 264 kg per capita in 2021.
According to Eurostat data, Austria (516 kg), Denmark (411 kg) and Germany (409 kg) had the highest amounts of recycled waste per capita in the EU in 2022, while Romania (36 kg), Malta (75 kg) and Greece (90 kg) had the lowest amounts of recycled waste per capita in the EU.
