Waste generation

From 2010 to 2022, total waste generation remained stable in the 27 EU Member States (EU-27), with a notable decrease during the 2020 period, likely influenced by COVID-19. This was followed by an increase of approximately 4% in 2022, reaching similar amounts to 2010. Major mineral wastes, such as hard rocks, concrete, soils and others (that are mainly produced in the mining and construction sectors) feature in big quantities in relation to other waste types. This alters the interpretation of trends. They also usually represent an environmental issue of relatively less concern. If we exclude them from the totals, the remaining waste streams, more environmentally significant, increased when compared to 2010, by 3.3% and reached 1777 kg/per capita). Unfortunately, the trends observed suggest that the EU is not on track to meet its goal of significantly reducing waste generation, because the link between waste generation and economic growth is still existing, albeit weakening.

Waste generation is very high in the EU. Reducing this is a primary objective of EU waste and circular economy policies. The EU Waste Framework Directive sets out a waste hierarchy, the guiding principle of EU and national waste policies. The main driver of increasing waste generation is economic growth, with gross domestic product (GDP), the most commonly used indicator of economic growth, increasing by 19% between 2010 and 2022. Population size was relatively stable and thus does not explain the trend. However, while the amount of waste generated grew considerably, it did so at a significantly slower pace than the economy, indicating the relative decoupling of waste generation from economic growth.