Country profile

United Kingdom

Waste generation, collection, composition, treatment and policy statistics for United Kingdom.

Indicator year 2021Eur. & Cent. AsiaHIC

Municipal waste generated466kg per person · 2021 · World Bank What a Waste 3.0 · reported value

Collection coverage—No published value

Municipal recycling rate26.2%2021 · World Bank What a Waste 3.0 · reported treatment share

Uncollected waste—No published value

Open dumping—No published value

Sanitary landfill—No published value

World Bank values are shown for indicators that were not available from the Eurostat refresh.

Waste composition

World Bank What a Waste 3.0 · 2021 · reported material shares

Food and organics20.3%

Paper and cardboard17.5%

Garden and green waste17.2%

Other materials14.3%

Plastic9.2%

Glass6.9%

Textiles4.7%

Wood3.9%

Metal3.8%

Electrical and electronic waste1.8%

Hazardous waste0.4%

World Bank What a Waste 3.0 · 2021 · reported treatment and disposal shares

Incineration45.4%

Recycling in treatment mix26.2%

Composting16.3%

Landfill, unspecified9.2%

Other treatment3.0%

National waste lawYes

National waste planA Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan To Improve The Environment

Responsible institutionDepartment for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Producer responsibilityYes

EPR operating statusLegally-binding regulations in place

Deposit-return systemYes