Household waste statistics vary by definition: municipal waste includes household waste and similar small commercial waste, while total waste also includes economic and mineral streams. The figures below keep each geography, period and measurement scope explicit.
Key Household Waste Statistics
The most useful headline figures span generation, recycling, disposal and organic waste:
- In 2018, 292 million U.S. short tons of municipal solid waste were generated in the United States.
- In 2018, U.S. municipal solid waste generation was 4.91 pounds per person per day.
- In 2018, U.S. recycling and composting handled 94 million tons of municipal solid waste.
- In 2018, U.S. municipal solid waste recycling and composting reached 32.1%.
- In 2019, UK waste from households totaled 26.441 million tonnes.
- In 2023, UK waste from households totaled 25.913 million tonnes, a provisional estimate.
- In 2023, the UK waste-from-households recycling rate was 44.6%, a provisional estimate.
- In 2023, Wales recorded a 57.0% waste-from-households recycling rate.
- In 2024, England generated 21.9 million tonnes of waste from households.
- In 2024, England separately collected 535 thousand tonnes of food waste.
- In 2023, EU municipal waste generation was 511 kg per person.
- In 2023, EU municipal waste recycling reached 48.0%.
- In 2023, the EU incinerated 129 kg of municipal waste per person.
- In 2023, the EU landfilled 115 kg of municipal waste per person.
- In 2022, Austria generated 803 kg of municipal waste per person.
- In 2022, Romania generated 303 kg of municipal waste per person.
Contents
- Household waste generation statistics and trends
- UK household waste recycling statistics
- England household waste data by material
- EU municipal waste statistics per person
- Household waste treatment: recycling, incineration and landfill
- Food and biodegradable household waste statistics
Household Waste Generation Statistics and Trends
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported approximately 292 million U.S. short tons of municipal solid waste generated in 2018. This is a municipal solid waste measure, not every waste stream, and the EPA also estimated generation at 4.91 pounds per person per day.
The longer U.S. series shows a high point of 4.74 pounds per person per day in both 2000 and 2005, followed by 4.51 pounds in 2017. EPA identifies the 2018 increase as partly reflecting a changed food-waste measurement method.
U.S. EPA, Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Fact Sheet and U.S. EPA, 2018 Fact Sheet provide the U.S. generation series and scope.
The European Union’s broader 2022 waste account recorded 2,233 million tonnes from all economic activities and households. Households accounted for 8.9% of that total, while total waste excluding major mineral waste was 795 million tonnes, or 1.8 tonnes per inhabitant.
| Measure | Period | Result | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU total waste | 2022 | 2,233 million tonnes | All economic activities and households |
| EU total waste per capita | 2022 | 4,991 kg | Includes major mineral and economic-activity waste |
| Household share of EU total | 2022 | 8.9% | Eurostat economic-activity classification |
| EU waste excluding major minerals | 2022 | 795 million tonnes | All economic activities and households |
These EU figures should not be compared directly with household-only or municipal-only totals. The source is Eurostat, Waste statistics.
UK Household Waste Recycling Statistics
UK waste from households rose from 26.441 million tonnes in 2019 to 27.009 million tonnes in 2020 and 27.650 million tonnes in 2021. It fell to 25.687 million tonnes in 2022, then reached a provisional 25.913 million tonnes in 2023.
The UK waste-from-households recycling rate was 46.0% in 2019, 44.5% in 2020 and a provisional 44.6% in 2023. The harmonised measure includes incinerator-bottom-ash metal, so definitions matter when comparing it with other recycling series.
| UK measure | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waste from households, million tonnes | 26.441 | 27.009 | 27.650 | 25.687 | 25.913 |
| Recycling rate | 46.0% | 44.5% | — | — | 44.6% |
England accounted for 21.717 million tonnes in 2023, equal to 84% of the provisional UK total. Wales had a 57.0% recycling rate in 2023, using the harmonised UK measure.
The 2023 UK and England figures were provisional because one English local authority had incomplete reporting, and Scotland and Wales series have documented revisions. See UK statistics on waste.
England Household Waste Data by Material Stream
England waste from households totaled 21.5 million tonnes in 2022, 21.7 million tonnes in 2023 and 21.9 million tonnes in 2024. Defra described 2022 as the lowest annual tonnage in its 14-year series, while weather affected organic waste tonnage in 2023 and 2024.
Total recycling from households increased from 9.322 million tonnes in 2022 to 9.549 million tonnes in 2023 and 9.602 million tonnes in 2024. In 2024, dry recycling was 5.519 million tonnes, or 25.2% of total waste from households.
| England household waste measure | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waste from households, million tonnes | 21.5 | 21.7 | 21.9 |
| Total recycling, million tonnes | 9.322 | 9.549 | 9.602 |
England’s 2024 dry-recycling composition shows how material streams differ within the recycling total:
- Paper and card represented 34.7% of dry recycling.
- Glass represented 21.4% of dry recycling.
- WEEE and other scrap metals represented 9.5% of dry recycling.
- Plastic represented 9.3% of dry recycling.
These percentages use dry recycling as the denominator, not all household waste. The figures come from Local authority collected waste management – annual results 2024/25.
EU Municipal Waste Statistics per Person
Eurostat reported EU municipal waste generation of 534 kg per person in 2021, 515 kg in 2022 and 511 kg in 2023. The 2023 level was 4.3% lower than in 2021 but 32 kg per person higher than in 2013.
Municipal waste includes household waste and similar small commercial waste, so it is broader than household waste alone. It excludes industrial, agricultural, medical, and construction and demolition waste.
Country comparisons below use 2022 data, while the EU headline trend uses 2023 data:
| Country | Municipal waste per person, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Austria | 803 kg |
| Denmark | 802 kg |
| Estonia | 373 kg |
| Poland | 367 kg |
| Romania | 303 kg |
The highest and lowest country figures in this compact comparison should not be treated as household-only measurements. Source: Eurostat, Municipal waste down by second consecutive year.
Household Waste Treatment: Recycling, Incineration and Landfill
In the United States, recycling alone handled 69 million tons, or 23.6% of MSW, in 2018. Composting handled 24.9 million tons, or 8.5%, so recycling and composting together handled 94 million tons and reached 32.1%.
The same EPA series recorded 34.6 million tons, or 11.8%, treated through combustion with energy recovery, while landfill disposal reached 146.1 million tons. These categories describe U.S. municipal solid waste treatment rather than household waste alone.
EU municipal waste treatment shows a different per-person mix in 2023:
| EU treatment measure | 2013 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling rate | 37.2% | 48.0% |
| Recycled waste per person | 199 kg | 246 kg |
| Incinerated waste per person | — | 129 kg, 25.2% |
| Landfilled waste per person | 142 kg, 29.7% | 115 kg, 22.5% |
The EU 2023 figures are municipal-waste measures. Sources: U.S. EPA, 2018 Fact Sheet and Eurostat, Municipal waste down by second consecutive year.
Food and Biodegradable Household Waste Statistics
The EPA estimated that other food-management pathways accounted for 17.7 million tons, or 6.1% of U.S. MSW generation, in 2018. EPA introduced an enhanced food measurement method in 2018, so direct comparisons with earlier food figures require caution.
England separately collected 499 thousand tonnes of food waste in 2022, 501 thousand tonnes in 2023 and 535 thousand tonnes in 2024. Defra notes that organic tonnage can vary with weather and collection patterns.
UK biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill was a provisional 5.344 million tonnes in 2023, including food, green waste, cardboard and paper. England’s corresponding provisional figure was 4.388 million tonnes, and neither is a household-only measure.
UK municipal waste sent to landfill fell from 13.146 million tonnes in 2022 to 11.184 million tonnes in 2023. In 2023, wastes from mechanical treatment accounted for 7.797 million tonnes of municipal waste sent to landfill, while mixed municipal waste accounted for 2.080 million tonnes.
The landfill categories are treatment-site categories and do not identify individual materials such as food waste. Sources: UK statistics on waste, Local authority collected waste management – annual results 2024/25 and U.S. EPA, 2018 Fact Sheet.