The UK landfills around 12 per cent more municipal waste than the EU27 average (37 per cent) .  It has slightly lower recycling and composting rates (40 per cent) than the EU27 average (42 per cent)

Why is this important – The UK is committed to reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill and improve recycling and composting alternatives.

• Only broad comparisons can be made between countries because of differences in definitions of types of waste management. The recycling category includes some other recovery options (fuel manufacture, for example), which are negligible in most countries, but account for around 10 per cent of municipal waste in Germany, and 6 per cent in Spain.
• Denmark is the only country where incineration is the main method of waste disposal (54 per cent). The Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Belgium recycle and compost the majority of their waste.

Data download

The key facts publication contains a downloadable version of this page
EuroStat -  Themes and Data
Government policy on waste and recycling