Increase in household waste collected in 2023

One type of waste that showed a marked increase was green waste (organic material such as garden waste or fruit and vegetable waste): in 2023, 1.6 billion kg of green waste was collected (over 91 kg per inhabitant) compared to just over 1.5 billion kg (or 89 kg per person) in 2022. The amount of green waste produced depends partly on how much rainfall there is in a given year: 2022 was a relatively dry year, so there was less foliage growth and therefore less garden waste. There was more garden waste in 2023 because it was a wetter year.

Less residual household waste

Municipal authorities collected 3.1 billion kg of residual household waste in 2023, an average of around 178 kg per person. That was 2 percent less than in 2022, when 3.2 billion kg of residual household waste was collected, or 182 kg per person. How much residual household waste is collected depends in part on the policy of the local municipality. In order to ensure that more waste is separated, municipalities can opt to price the collection of different types of waste differently, or to have residents take their waste to collection points themselves, such as a container or recycling facility in their neighbourhood.

Further drop in amount of glass packaging collected

In 2023, 354 million kg of glass packaging was collected, or 20 kg per person. In 2022, a total of 362 billion kg was collected, or 21 kg per person. Following an increase in 2020, the amount of glass collected has been falling since 2021. It is now almost back to the level of 2018, when 350 million kg was collected.