NewsStory

EU waste averaged 1,697 kg per resident in 2024, excluding major mineral waste

KROV newsroom

29 Oct 2026, 3:37 pm IST2 min read

DiscussionThe story behind the news.

The European Union generated 765 million tonnes of waste in 2024 when major mineral waste from mining, quarrying, construction and demolition is excluded, Eurostat reported on October 29, 2026. That measure corresponds to an average of 1,697 kg per resident. It is not a measure of household rubbish alone.

Waste excluding those major mineral categories represented about 35% of the EU’s total 2,196 million tonnes of waste in 2024. Its total volume was 1.9% below the 779.5 million tonnes recorded in 2004. The figures describe the 2024 statistical reference year, rather than waste generated on the report’s publication date.

In a separate measure covering waste treatment, Eurostat said recovery operations accounted for 61.8% of treated EU waste in 2024. Recycling represented 42.0% of total treated waste, backfilling 13.3% and incineration with energy recovery 6.5%. Landfill accounted for 37.8%, while incineration without energy recovery accounted for 0.4%. These treatment shares should not be applied to the 765-million-tonne generation figure as if both measures had the same denominator.

Source: Eurostat / European Union, original article: Waste generation in the EU: 1 697 kg per capita in 2024 (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20261029-2), published 29 October 2026. © European Union. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). KROV adaptation and Telugu translation. KROV is solely responsible for this adaptation and translation; they do not reflect the views of the European Union. In case of discrepancies, the original English text prevails. No European Union endorsement is implied.

Sources and credits

Credit: Eurostat EU statistics news · Summarised/translated by KROV · CC BY 4.0

More context. A clearer perspective.

KROV · CONVERSATION

Comments

Share your perspective respectfully. Comments appear after review. Please do not share personal information.

Loading comments…

EU household electricity prices eased 2.2% in first half of 2026

EU household gas prices fell in first half of 2026: Eurostat

EU rail passenger-kilometres rose 2.6% in 2025: Eurostat

EU tax-to-GDP ratio rises to 40.7% in 2025, Eurostat reports

94.4% of EU children in the defined age group attended early childhood education in 2024