In South Korea, metal waste reported the highest recycling rate among all types of materials, with around ** percent in 2023. On average, the recycling rate of municipal waste in South Korea stood at **** percent.

Slovenia and Germany had the highest municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling rates among OECD countries in 2022, at **** and ** percent, respectively. Meanwhile, South Korea boasted a recycling rate of some ** percent in 2021. Of the 10 highest ranked recycling rates within the OECD, **** were European countries. In contrast, the recycling rate in Costa Rica was below **** percent. Who generates the most MSW? With a recycling rate of less than ** percent, the United States is the biggest producer of municipal solid waste across the globe, followed closely by China. With landfilling ranking as the most common method of MSW disposal in these two countries, they are home to some of the largest MSW landfills in the world, with over ***** tons being dumped daily at each one. In terms of municipal waste generation per capita, the United States ranks second in the world, behind Denmark. How is MSW recycled? Municipal solid waste recycling involves a series of processes aimed at recovering valuable materials from the waste stream and diverting them from landfill or incineration. After the waste is collected and sorted at recycling facilities, recyclables undergo processing such as shredding, crushing, or melting to convert the materials into a usable form. The processed recyclables are then sent to manufacturers who use them as raw materials for producing new goods. Recycling practices can vary across regions, and not all materials are easily recyclable.

About the Dataset: Waste Management and Recycling in India

Overview:

This dataset provides comprehensive information on waste management and recycling practices in various cities across India. It includes key data related to waste generation, recycling rates, population density, municipal efficiency, landfill details, and more. The data spans multiple years (2019–2023) and covers a range of waste types, including plastic, organic waste, electronic waste (e-waste), construction waste, and hazardous waste.

Purpose:

The dataset aims to: - Promote efficient waste management practices across Indian cities. - Analyze trends in recycling and waste disposal methods. - Provide insights for improving municipal management systems. - Support research and development in sustainability, environmental science, and urban planning.

Columns:

1. City/District: The name of the Indian city or district.
2. Waste Type: Type of waste generated, e.g., Plastic, Organic, E-Waste, Construction, Hazardous.
3. Waste Generated (Tons/Day): Amount of waste generated in tons per day.
4. Recycling Rate (%): The percentage of waste that is recycled.
5. Population Density (People/km²): The number of people per square kilometer in the city.
6. Municipal Efficiency Score (1-10): A score indicating how effectively the municipality manages waste (e.g., waste segregation, collection, disposal).
7. Disposal Method: The method used for waste disposal (e.g., Landfill, Recycling, Incineration, Composting).
8. Cost of Waste Management (₹/Ton): The cost of managing one ton of waste in Indian Rupees.
9. Awareness Campaigns Count: The number of awareness campaigns organized by the municipality in that year related to waste management.
10. Landfill Name: The name of the landfill site used by the city.
11. Landfill Location (Lat, Long): The geographical location (latitude and longitude) of the landfill.
12. Landfill Capacity (Tons): The total waste capacity (in tons) that the landfill can hold.
13. Year: The year of the data entry, ranging from 2019 to 2023.

Applications:

• Urban Planning: The dataset can be used to analyze and optimize waste management infrastructure in urban areas.
• Sustainability Research: It can help in studying the progress of recycling and waste reduction strategies.
• Policy Making: Government bodies can use this data to craft policies aimed at improving waste management and recycling rates.
• Machine Learning/AI: The dataset can be used to build models for predicting waste generation trends, recycling outcomes, and municipal efficiency.

Sources:

• The data is simulated for this dataset based on average waste management practices observed in Indian cities.
• Real-world data could come from municipal corporations, environmental agencies, and government reports on waste management.

This dataset was developed by Zerocycle on behalf of the City of Buffalo to analyze curbside recycling rates by neighborhood.

Provides data on average daily kilograms of garbage removed and garbage recycling rate in Kaohsiung City

Material recovery accounted for the largest share of municipal solid waste treatment in Italy in 2022, at ** percent. On the other hand, around ** percent of municipal waste collected in the Mediterranean country was sent to landfill for disposal, and another ** percent was incinerated.   Recycling in Italy The recycling rate of municipal waste in Italy has been steadily increasing over the past decade, surpassing ** percent in 2022. This was one of the highest recycling rates of municipal waste in the EU, and slightly above the average. The EU set a target of a ** percent recycling rate of municipal waste by 2025, which Italy has almost reached.   Landfills in Italy Although recycling has increased in Italy, landfilling is still a common waste disposal method. The volume of waste sent to landfills in Italy has decreased significantly in recent years, falling from **** million metric tons in 2012 to some *** million metric tons by 2023. These reductions coincide with the number of municipal waste landfill sites in Italy declining over the years.

The European average Waste-to-Energy plant (WtE) is defined based on the treatment of average European municipal solid waste (MSW). The thermal treatment of a single waste fraction like paper or plastic or even specific wastes like Polyamide 6 is not done in reality in a WtE plant for MSW. The waste is always homogenized to obtain a relative constant calorific value and to comply with the emission standards. Nonetheless the used model and the used settings for the average MSW allows to attribute the environmental burden (emissions and also resource consumption of auxiliaries) energy production as well as the credits (metal scrap export) to a single fraction or specific waste incinerated within an average MSW. Therefore the LCI data is valid for the treatment of the specific waste within an average MSW (the waste fraction share of the MSW is shown in the pie chart beneath, the elementary composition in the first table beneath). The following technology description explains the settings and technology of the average WtE plant used to generate the LCI data set. The net calorific value and the elementary composition of the waste fraction or specific waste are shown in the tables beneath (see corresponding column in the tables). The data set covers all relevant process steps / technologies over the supply chain of the represented cradle to gate inventory with a good overall data quality. The inventory is mainly based on industry data and is completed, where necessary, by secondary data.

Synonyms: Waste-to-energy of MSW

Technical Purpose: Standard end-of-life treatment service for average European municipal waste via thermal treatment.

Geographical Representation: EU-27

The European average Waste-to-Energy plant (WtE) is defined based on the treatment of average European municipal solid waste (MSW). The thermal treatment of a single waste fraction like paper or plastic or even specific wastes like Polyamide 6 is not done in reality in a WtE plant for MSW. The waste is always homogenized to obtain a relative constant calorific value and to comply with the emission standards. Nonetheless the used model and the used settings for the average MSW allows to attribute the environmental burden (emissions and also resource consumption of auxiliaries) energy production as well as the credits (metal scrap export) to a single fraction or specific waste incinerated within an average MSW. Therefore the LCI data is valid for the treatment of the specific waste within an average MSW (the waste fraction share of the MSW is shown in the pie chart beneath, the elementary composition in the first table beneath). The following technology description explains the settings and technology of the average WtE plant used to generate the LCI data set. The net calorific value and the elementary composition of the waste fraction or specific waste are shown in the tables beneath (see corresponding column in the tables). The data set covers all relevant process steps / technologies over the supply chain of the represented cradle to gate inventory with a good overall data quality. The inventory is mainly based on industry data and is completed, where necessary, by secondary data.

Synonyms: Waste-to-energy of plastics (unspecified) fraction in MSW

Technical Purpose: Standard end-of-life treatment service for a specific waste fraction via thermal treatment.

Geographical Representation: EU-27

Abstract In Brazil, the selective material collection costs 4.6 times than the conventional collection, and only 22% of Brazilian municipalities practice selective collection. Waste pickers have been participating in solid waste management systems in Brazilian cities for more than four decades. The activities of waste pickers contribute to increased recycling to reduce waste and help the environment. This qualitative, deductive, and exploratory study aims to delineate a socioeconomic profile of the recyclable waste collector operating in the Salvador city Bahia. It presents the Salvador’s waste pickers profile. Concludes that cooperative organizations enable their workers to sell recyclable materials at higher prices, providing higher average income than the street waste pickers.

The recycling rate of synthetic resin waste in South Korea was around ** percent in 2023. Except for 2019, the plastic recycling rate has stayed between ** percent and ** percent over the past decade, while the average recycling rate for municipal waste in South Korea stood at over ** percent. In 2019, the scope and name of the category were changed to synthetic resin waste and dropped to around ** percent of the recycling rate. Plastic waste in South Korea Over half a million tons of single-use plastic bags were estimated to have been used in South Korea in 2020 along with more than ****** tons of PET bottles. The government and companies have taken steps to try and reduce plastic consumption. For example, the government now charges fees for single-use plastic bags and recommends paper bags instead. Companies are creating plastic products that use less plastic, such as water bottles with slimmer caps. Plastic waste management and treatment In 2022, over 45 percent of plastic waste was recycled as material or as energy. The rest were either simply incinerated or thrown into landfills. South Korea seems to have a capable waste recycling system, with citizens separating waste before throwing it out. The problem is that after citizens do their job, waste management companies must further separate plastic waste. Not all plastic waste is the same; a PET bottle is different from a plastic cup. There are even plastics composed of several different plastics. In many cases, companies simply cannot afford to properly separate plastics, and it causes that a lot of plastic waste is simply discarded.

In 2023, around ** percent of metal waste had been recycled in South Korea. On average, the recycling rate of recyclable municipal waste in South Korea stood at around ** percent that year.

The reported average recycling rate of domestic waste in South Korea stood at around ** percent as of 2023. This was relatively high compared to average recycling rates of municipal waste in the country.

Despite some challenging conditions, the industry developed positively in the years leading up to the coronavirus crisis. Although society's increasing environmental awareness has led to new regulations and slower growth in waste volumes, the waste collection industry has also benefited from this, as waste disposal services are becoming increasingly complex and higher turnover can be generated from them. The coronavirus crisis had an enormous impact on the industry, particularly in the first half of 2020, as waste volumes fell and lower revenues were generated from the resale of waste to downstream industries such as recycling service providers. This was due to a general drop in commodity prices caused by the crisis. Since autumn 2020, however, industry players have benefited from high commodity prices. In 2024, industry turnover is expected to fall by 1.1% to €18.1 billion. This means that turnover has only increased by an average of 0.9% since 2019.The production volume is likely to fall in the current year and therefore the volume of waste is also likely to decrease. The construction sector, a key market for waste collectors, is also in crisis. While many orders from the pre-crisis period were still being processed in 2020, the declining number of new orders in the construction industry made itself felt in 2021 and 2022. In 2024, building construction and other areas of the construction sector are likely to continue to suffer from high construction material costs despite falling key interest rates, which should continue to affect construction activity and demand for waste collection services.For the period from 2024 to 2029, IBISWorld expects average annual growth of 0.8% and industry revenue of 18.8 billion euros in 2029. The trend towards remunicipalisation is likely to become less significant in the medium term due to the financial weakness of local authorities as a result of the crisis and may even reverse in some cases, leading to greater privatisation. The number of sector companies and employees is expected to increase further by 2029, as the sector is likely to benefit from society's growing environmental awareness and the resulting increase in demand for complex waste management services.

In 2023, there were *** municipal waste landfills across Italy. Less than 10 years earlier, the Mediterranean country had *** landfills, and an overall decrease has been observed ever since. A landfill is a place intended for the disposal of waste — more specifically, waste that cannot be recycled or recovered. The volume of municipal waste landfilled in Italy has decreased considerably over time. In 2023, roughly *** million metric tons of municipal waste were buried in landfills, whereas in 2012 this amounted to approximately ** million metric tons.   Regional landfill waste in Italy The southern region of Italy collects more waste to be sent to landfills than other areas of the country. In 2023, the quantity of municipal waste disposed at landfills in the south amounted to *** million metric tons. In comparison, *** million metric tons were collected in the northern region. Municipal waste management Although huge quantities of waste are landfilled, the recycling rate of municipal waste in Italy surpassed ** percent in recent years. This was above the average recycling rate in the European Union. In 2023, over one quarter of municipal solid waste collected in Italy was recovered. However, landfills still represented a relevant means in waste management, as they accounted for ** percent of the treated waste in that same year.

Household waste generation in the United Kingdom saw a significant decrease in 2022, dropping seven percent year-on-year to **** million metric tons. A decline in waste generation was observed across all four countries. England, the largest contributor, generated **** million tons of household waste that year, or **** percent of the UK’s output. Household waste management trends In 2022, waste from households recycled in the UK amounted to approximately ** ******* metric tons, the lowest figure recorded since 2010. Although this result is partially associated with the decrease in waste generation, the UK’s household waste recycling rate also saw the lowest figure recorded in at least seven years, with an average of **** percent. England has set a target to recycle at least ** percent of its municipal waste by 2025. Regional variations in waste management While England accounts for the largest volume of household waste generated and recycled in the UK, Wales has consistently outperformed other regions in recycling efforts. In 2022, its waste from household recycling rate reached nearly ** percent, significantly higher than the UK average. In contrast, Scotland lagged with the lowest recycling rate at **** percent. Recycling rates also vary significantly within a country. In 2023, South Oxfordshire and Three Rivers district councils were the local authorities with the highest household waste recycling rates in England. In contrast, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets was the local authority with the lowest recycling rate, at **** percent.

In 2022, the amount of domestic trash generated per person per day in South Korea reached *** kilograms. Jeju island generated the highest average daily volume of municipal waste per capita out of the South Korean provinces and produced a higher per capita volume than the national amount of domestic trash. South Korean waste management To manage resources and limited land effectively, South Korea made recycling an obligation, and noncompliance results in a fine. Since the introduction of the recycling bill in 2017, the yearly volume of recycled waste in South Korea has increased significantly. As South Korea has extensive industry and construction sectors, they make up more than ************ of the distribution of waste produced in South Korea. Municipal waste only made up around *** percent of total amount of waste produced. Municipal waste On average, the rate of recycling of waste in South Korean municipalities was at around ** percent. Metal waste was reported to have been recycled the most among thrown-out materials. Although recycling was an obligation by law, most South Koreans have had experience with not complying with the recyclable waste separation standards in South Korea. To comply with the existing requirements, South Korean households tend to have one designated person who is responsible for recycling the domestic waste.

Norway generated the largest amount of municipal waste per capita in Europe in 2023, at *** kilograms per inhabitant. Luxembourg ranked second, also with over *** kilograms per capita. Nevertheless, based on data from the previous year, the average Austrian and Dane had the highest municipal waste generation rates in Europe, at over *** kilograms per capita. How does Europe compare to the rest of the world? High-income European countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Austria have some of the highest municipal waste generation rates worldwide. Nevertheless, the average municipal waste generation in European OECD countries was just below the OECD average, estimated at *** kilograms per capita in 2022. That year, Europeans generated on average *** kilograms less municipal waste than the average American. Trends in municipal waste in the EU In 2023, the EU’s average municipal waste generation stood at *** kilograms per capita, slightly down from *** kilograms per capita a year earlier. This was the second consecutive year of decline after a continual growth between 2014 and 2021. While municipal waste generation grew by **** percent in that period, municipal waste recycling per capita in the EU also increased, by roughly ** percent to some *** kilograms.

Austria and the United States have some of the highest volumes of municipal solid waste generation per capita worldwide, with each citizen producing on average over 800 kilograms annually. In contrast, municipal solid waste generation in Japan stood around 320 kilograms per capita, according to the latest available data. Global waste management landscape Global municipal waste generation is projected to grow 75 percent between 2020 and 2050, nearing four billion metric tons per annum by the latter year. As such, the importance of efficient disposal methods becomes increasingly critical. In 2020, the largest share of global municipal waste was managed in an uncontrolled manner, often ending up in open dumps. Landfilling accounted for another 30 percent, while less than 20 percent was recycled that year. Leading waste management companies French-based Veolia is by far the largest company in the waste management industry in terms of revenue, with 50 billion U.S. dollars generated in 2023. Across the Atlantic, the U.S. is also home to some of the largest waste management companies in the world, including Waste Management Inc., and Republic Services. Despite the high waste generation rates in developed countries, the growth in waste production is forecast to accelerate faster in low-income regions, presenting new challenges and opportunities for waste management companies worldwide.

In the last decades, the amount of garbage being disposed in China has soared, reaching approximately ***** million tons as of 2023. During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the annual amount of garbage had decreased to around *** million tons, declining for the first time in many years. However, this drop was only short-lived, and the amount of garbage disposed in 2021 already exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Pollution and waste in China Being the most populated country in the world with a constantly growing population and economy, China was faced with multiple problems. For example, the increasing vehicle traffic on roads and the low air quality, subsequently the trash volume as well. The issue is particularly severe in prosperous the urban areas, and not to mention the trash imported to China from the rest of the world, which was put to a halt in 2018. Historically, the Chinese garbage handling ideology was landfill, however, due to shortage of land around cities and secondary pollution caused by illegal dumping, especially in rural areas, the ratio of incineration has been increasing in recent years, despite the fact that incineration poses serious health problems to citizens by emitting various toxic by-products. Rise of environmental awareness in China Many of the developed countries in the west have already adopted a more comprehensive way of dealing with waste, emphasizing on reducing the amount of waste produced at the beginning, with attention also put on recycling useful waste. Under the “Made in China 2025” strategic plan, China is trying to follow suit. Fortunately, with the economic growth, the environmental awareness in China is also on the rise, with concern rising especially about disposable or non-recyclable products. Many also consider everyone is responsible to reduce plastic and packaging, including manufacturers, governments, vendors, as well as the consumers themselves. Individuals have also begun to enforce consumer power by buying products made from recycled material and boycotting products which are not and the vendors who sell a lot of such products, whereas other individual actions involved for protecting the environment were reusing of disposable items and paying extra.