03/2025
Separate collection of municipal waste and its treatment
In this number...
According to the Statistics on the collection and treatment of waste, almost 5.2 million tonnes of waste from separate collection were collected in 2022. Paper and cardboard waste (28.9%) and animal and vegetable waste (28.4%) together accounted for more than half. Glass accounted for 18.1% of the total and mixed containers and mixed packaging for a further 17.9%.
In relative terms, the highest per capita collection of paper and cardboard was recorded in the Valencian Community. The autonomous community with the highest values for both glass and mixed packaging was the Balearic Islands.,
From 2010 to 2022, there was an increase in mixed packaging and mixed containers (44.8% more), which at the end of the period accounted for almost as much as glass. Plastic waste decreased by 86.9% while textile waste increased ninefold.
More than half of all municipal waste collected (53.2%) underwent recovery treatment (either recycling or incineration, as incineration is always carried out with energy recovery). The rates were close to 100% for paper and cardboard and glass.
The overall municipal waste recycling rate in 2022 was 42.9%. This is 6.2 points below the EU average and 13 percentage points above that recorded in 2015.
Sources: INE (Statistics on the Collection and Treatment of Waste) and Eurostat.
Separate collection of municipal waste
Nearly 5.2 million tonnes in separate collection
In 2022, almost 5.2 million tonnes of waste were collected from separate collection. This figure does not include construction and demolition waste, unused medicines, rubber waste, or sanitary and biological waste.
Four types of waste accounted for 93.3% of the total
Paper and cardboard waste (28.9%) together with animal and vegetable waste (28.4%) accounted for more than half of the total. Glass accounted for 18.1% and mixed packaging and mixed containers for a further 17.9%. These four types of waste accounted for 93.3% of all separate municipal waste collection.
The rest progressively contributed less: wood (3.2%), electrical equipment and electronic equipment components (1.6%), textiles (0.9%), plastics (0.5%), metal (0.5%), batteries and accumulators (0.04%).
The largest amount in separate collection was paper and cardboard
In relative terms, there are large differences in the quantities of separately collected waste per inhabitant within each Autonomous Community.
Paper and cardboard accounted for the largest quantities. The average was 31.3 kilograms per inhabitant per year, a figure that almost doubled in the Valencian Community (61.1) and fell to 9.5 in Cantabria.
The Balearic Islands was the biggest contributor in terms of glass and mixed packaging
For glass collection, the average was 19.6 kilogrammes per inhabitant, with a maximum in the Balearic Islands (40.2), which doubled that value, and a minimum of 9.1 in Extremadura.
For mixed packaging and mixed containers, the average figure was 19.4 kilogrammes per inhabitant, with the Balearic Islands again contributing the highest amount (38.4) and the Region of Murcia the lowest (9.8).
There are various ways of organising separate collection, which starts in the household and ends at a specialised treatment centre. The intermediate stop is usually specific containers or recycling points, placed in urban areas according to the volume and frequency of the waste.
12 years of separate collection
Less plastic and more animal and plant waste than 12 years ago
Compared to 2010, the total amount of separately collected waste increased by 17.1%. The four main types of waste in 2010 in terms of quantity remained in the same position in 2022, with paper and cardboard at the top.
Regardless of their share of the total, the largest relative increase was observed in textile waste (+917.1%), followed by animal and vegetable waste (+53.6%). The largest decreases since 2010 were in plastic waste (-86.9%) and metal waste (-57.1%).
During the period, there was an increase in mixed containers and mixed packaging waste, which in 2022 accounted for nearly the same amount as glass, while the quantities of animal and vegetable waste, previously far behind paper and cardboard, tended to come closer in recent years.
Glass felt the effect of the pandemic
In the year the COVID-19 crisis broke out (2020), there was a sharp drop in plastic waste compared to the previous year (-70.4%). Textile waste (-24.1%) and glass (-8.4%) also fell, with glass dropping one position in the total contribution to selective collection for the first time in the historical series.
On the other hand, there were increases in the collected quantities of electrical equipment and electronic components (+41.3%), animal and vegetable waste, and mixed packaging and mixed containers (both up 7.2%).
Waste collection and treatment in the EU and Spain
515 kilogrammes per inhabitant on average
In terms of population, 515 kilogrammes per inhabitant were collected within the European Union in 2022. The figure in Spain was somewhat lower (482). This total includes all types of municipal waste, both from separate collection and mixed waste.
Germany and Austria recycle the most
According to Eurostat estimates, 49.1% of municipal waste was recycled in 2022. The Member States with the highest recycling rates were Germany (69.2%), Austria, and Slovenia (both 62.6%); while Romania (12.3%), Malta (12.5%), and Cyprus (14.8%) had the lowest figures.
For packaging, on average, 65.3% was recycled, though the rate varied depending on the type of material used. Plastic packaging had the lowest recycling rates overall with an average of 40.7%, with paper and cardboard packaging having the highest recycling rate (83.1%).
13 point increase in Spain since 2015
In Spain, the recycling rate of municipal waste collected overall was 42.9%, a figure that has increased by 13 percentage points since 2015. 46.8% was sent to landfill and 10.3% ended up being incinerated.
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