ENVIRONMENT: Cyprus second biggest wasters in Europe

In Cyprus, the per capita generation of municipal solid waste in 2016 reached 642 kg, which is the second highest among EU member states. And most of the waste generated is not recycled but goes into landfill sites.

Denmark has the highest per capita generation of municipal solid waste (777 kg), while Cyprus was followed by Germany (627 kg), Malta (621 kg) and Luxembourg (614 kg).

During 2016 (data for 2017 are not yet available), the average amount of municipal solid waste generated per inhabitant in the European Union was 483 kg
The Statistical Service estimates that the total amount of municipal solid waste generated in Cyprus in 2017 stood at 547,000 tonnes compared to 545,000 tonnes in 2016, recording a small increase of 0.36%.

From the total amount of 521,000 tonnes treated in 2017, 79.5% was disposed in landfills, 15% was sorted for recycling, 2% was composted, 3.2% was used for backfilling and 0.3% was incinerated for energy recovery purposes.