Environmental Data Centre on Waste

Municipal waste generation and treatment, by type of treatment method (kg per capita)

Link to fullscreen

Waste (total amounts treated, as reported under the Waste Statistics Regulation)

 Waste treatment facilities at country level, 2004, 2006

Treatment of wastes includes processes such as:

• Mechanical and Biological Treatment (MBT);
• dedicated thermal e.g. incineration, pyrolysis; and
• utilisation of SRF.

Composting and AD processes can be considered as treatment, but it is more relevant to include this data in the Recycling page as biowaste management is often included in recycling rates.

Thermal and MBT processes deal with the residual, or black bag, wastes that arise from all sectors. Additionally thermal treatments, such as incineration, are often used to recover energy from any combustible material.

Incineration is widespread in a number of European Member States, such as Denmark and the Netherlands. The environmental impacts associated with EfW processes are controlled by both the Waste Incineration Directive (WID) and the Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD). They aim to ensure that certain pollutes are kept within recommended limits and, to some extent, the externalities associated with combusting wastes are internalised.

MBT processes remove dry recyclables from the waste stream, and can include modules to: stabilise the biodegradeable fraction through AD; and/or generate a refined product that can be used as a solid recovered fuel (SRF) in EfW facilities.

Member States are employing a range of treatments in order to divert waste from landfill and meet the requirements of the Landfill Directive. The mix of treatment types will depend upon political, social and environmental factors specific to each State, as well as the technologies available at the time when key investment decisions are made.

There are no specific treatment targets, however, a key driver in the implementation of non-landfill treatments is the set of targets laid out under Article 5 of the Landfill Directive. See Landfill section.

European Commission (Waste Incineration Directive)

European Commission (Large Combustion Plants Directive)