Municipal waste generated per capita
What is the trend in municipal waste generation?
Municipal waste is composed of waste collected from households and other waste similar in nature and composition to waste from households. This waste stream provides the best indicator for assessing performance in terms of generation and management of waste due to its close relationship with consumption and GDP.
Between 2008 and 2009, municipal waste generated, consisting of mixed municipal waste, street cleansing residues, bulky waste and mixed municipal waste, decreased by three per cent to 267,774 tonnes, most of which (95 per cent) was landfilled. This slowdown in comparison with the increasing trend registered over the last six years may be attributed to the economic climate.
In 2009, four per cent of municipal waste was recycled, up from three per cent in 2008. Municipal waste generation per capita is worked out by using end-of-year population figures. In 2009, each Maltese resident generated 648kg of municipal waste, 19kg less municipal waste per capita than in 2008 but still high in comparison with the EU average, which was 512kg per capita in that year.
For more information see The Environment Report Indicators 2009 at http://www.mepa.org.mt/teri2009 .