Warning: The results of this statistic are based on regional data. The Brussels-Capital Region and the Walloon Region will revise their figures for 2023. The results shown on this page are therefore provisional and will be revised at a later date.
1.6% increase in municipal waste per capita
The average production of municipal waste per capita in Belgium has increased from 683 kg in 2022 to 694 kg in 2023[1]. This is an increase of 1.6%. Nevertheless, the production of waste per capita remains much lower than the 760 kg registered in 2021.
At national level, we registered 7,915 tonnes of municipal waste in 2022 and 8,117 tonnes in 2023. On an annual basis, this is an increase of 2.5%.
In 2023, 45% of municipal waste was incinerated, 34% was recycled, 20% was composted and fermented and 0.1% went to landfills.
[1] Between 2019 and 2020, there is a big break in the figures. The European Union decided to better monitor the transition to a circular economy and the recycling rates in the Member States. The definition of municipal waste was therefore harmonised in all Member States. Municipal waste is now defined as waste from households and waste from other sources, such as retail, administration, education, health services, accommodation and food services, and other services and activities, which is similar in nature and composition to waste from households. Therefore, municipal waste includes, inter alia, waste from park and garden maintenance, such as leaves, grass and tree clippings, and waste from market and street cleaning services, such as the content of litter containers and sweepings except materials such as sand, rock, mud or dust. For Belgium, this means that the source of municipal waste is much wider than in 2019 and before. Waste production (and treatment) is therefore much more significant than before.
| in 1000 tons | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collection | 8,604 | 8,753 | 7,915 | 8,117 | |
| Landfill (a) | 42 | 40 | 14 | 10 | |
| Total incineration | 4,130 | 3,852 | 3,652 | 3,651 | |
| of which with energy recovery | 4,129 | 3,850 | 3,650 | 3,651 | |
| of which without energy recovery | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Recycling | 2,688 | 3,017 | 2,634 | 2,731 | |
| Composting and fermentation | 1,790 | 1,758 | 1,468 | 1,613 | |
| Note: excluding inert waste. (a) Including clinker Source (mandatory acknowledgement): Statbel (Directorate-General Statistics - Statistics Belgium) based on administrative databases |
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| per capita: kg/capita (b) | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collection | 749 | 779 | 683 | 694 | |
| Landfill (a) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total incineration | 359 | 370 | 315 | 312 | |
| of which with energy recovery | 359 | 370 | 315 | 312 | |
| of which without energy recovery | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Recycling | 234 | 239 | 227 | 233 | |
| Composting and fermentation | 156 | 164 | 127 | 138 | |
| Note: excluding inert waste. (a) Including clinker (b) Population on 1 January Source (mandatory acknowledgement): Statbel (Directorate-General Statistics - Statistics Belgium) based on administrative databases |
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Doel en korte beschrijving
Gemeentelijk afval is alle afval verzameld door de gemeentelijke ophaaldiensten, containerparken, straatvegers, … uitgezonderd van de bouwmaterialen. De gegevens bettreffen de selectieve inzameling, verwerking en recyclage van gemeentelijk afval in 1.000 ton en in kg per inwoner..
Populatie
Belgische Staat
Frequentie
Jaarlijks.
Timing publicatie
Resultaten beschikbaar 1 jaar na de referentieperiode
Definities
Productie van afval : Afval verzameld door of voor de gemeenten, door de gemeentelijke ophaaldiensten, containerparken, straatvegers, … uitgezonderd van de bouwmaterialen.
Verbranding : Thermische afvalbehandeling in verbrandingsovens
Afval : Elke stof of elk voorwerp waarvan de houder zich ontdoet of zich moet ontdoen krachtens de geldende nationale bepalingen.
Verbranding met energiewinning ; Verbranding met energiewinning (R1)
Verbranding zonder energiewinning : Verbranding zonder energiewinning (D10)
Storting : Storting op of onder de bodem (bv. in centra voor technische ingraving).(D1 - D7, D12)
Secundaire afval inbegrepen (bev. verbrandingsslakken)
Gerecycleerd : Uitgezonderd compostering
Gecomposteerd of gefermenteerd : Biologisch proces dat erin bestaat om bioafbreekbaar afval een anaërobe of aërobe ontbinding te laten ondergaan wat resulteert in een nuttig product.