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Municipal waste
The amount of municipal waste generated in a country is related to the rate of urbanisation, the types and patterns of consumption, household revenue and lifestyles. While municipal waste is only one part of total waste generated, its management and treatment often absorbs more than one third of the public sector’s financial efforts to abate and control pollution.
The main environmental concerns relate to the potential impact from inappropriate waste management on human health and the environment (soil and water contamination, air quality, land use and landscape).
Kilogrammes of municipal waste per capita – or "waste generation intensities” – are broad indicators of potential environmental pressure. They should be complemented with information on waste management practices and costs, and on consumption levels and patterns.
Definition
Municipal waste is waste collected and treated by or for municipalities. It covers waste from households, including bulky waste, similar waste from commerce and trade, office buildings, institutions and small businesses, yard and garden waste, street sweepings, the contents of litter containers, and market cleansing waste. The definition excludes waste from municipal sewage networks and treatment, as well as municipal construction and demolition waste.
Comparability
The definition of municipal waste and the surveying methods used vary from country to country.
The main problems relate to the coverage of household-like waste from commerce and trade, and of separate waste collections, carried out by private companies.
Data for Canada and New Zealand refer to household waste only.
OECD total does not include the Czech Republic, Hungary, Korea, Poland and the Slovak Republic.
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Long-term trends The quantity of municipal waste generated in the OECD area has been rising since 1980 and exceeded 590 million tonnes in recent years (570 kg per capita). Generation intensity – i.e. kilogrammes per capita – has risen mostly in line with private final consumption expenditure and GDP, but there has been a slowdown in the rate of growth in recent years. The amount of municipal waste also depends on national waste management practices. Only a few countries have succeeded in reducing the quantity of solid waste to be disposed of. In most countries for which data are available, increased affluence, associated with economic growth and changes in consumption patterns, tends to generate higher rates of waste per capita. |
Sources
- OECD (2005), OECD Environmental Data Compendium 2004, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2006), Environment at a Glance: OECD Environmental Indicators, OECD, Paris.
Further information
Analytical publications
- OECD (2004), Addressing the Economics of Waste, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2004), Economic Aspects of Extended Producer Responsibility, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2004), Toward Waste Prevention Performance Indicators, OECD, Paris.
Websites
- OECD Environmental Indicators, www.oecd.org/env/indicators.
- OECD Waste Prevention and Management, www.oecd.org/env/waste.
| Texts | |
| • | Indicator web page |
| • | Indicator in PDF |
| Tables (xls) | |
| • | Municipal waste generation |
| Graphics | |
| • | Municipal waste generation |
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