Which Countries Produce The Most Waste?

Waste management is an essential part of maintaining society and the environment. To manage waste properly, we need to know the amount of waste in countries worldwide. Developed nations produce the most waste and often export it to developing nations to eliminate them. 

This article uses the latest data to show five countries with the most waste generation rates. Countries that produce the most waste have low recycling rates. We will also discuss the problems with waste production reports and two methods used to create waste reports for countries worldwide.

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Methodologies Used To Determine Waste Generated

Problems With Waste Production Reports

Municipal solid waste contains all the waste from products people use daily. These waste products include food packaging, bottles, leftover food and vegetables, clothes, paper, batteries, and electronic items. Many methods are used to gather information on waste generation and waste management trends.

The amount of waste generated is influenced by population and economic growth. Determining the quantity of waste produced by various countries, especially developed and high-income countries, can take time and effort. Five primary reports have used different approaches and data sets to access global waste generation⁴.

However, these reports had some discrepancies because they needed to consider some aspects of waste production. These discrepancies include the absence of standard definitions and classifications, standard measurement methodologies, and standard reporting systems.

Furthermore, there is no defined classification of waste data and information. These reports do not include unregistered waste quantities, especially in developing countries. Some reports in developed countries only consider waste in urban areas.

Some Factors To Consider When Determining The Waste Generation Rate Of A Country

There are many factors to consider when calculating the quantity of municipal solid waste. These factors include the type of town, economic level, and season. When calculating waste generation, the climate should be considered because people have different consumption patterns during various seasons¹.

Waste generation decreases in climates with lower temperatures, while waste production increases during climate periods with higher temperatures. Another factor to consider is the economic level between a country's high—and low-income areas. High-income areas produce much more inorganic waste, like plastic waste, while low-income areas produce more organic waste. 

To calculate the amount of waste generated in a country, we also need to consider the types of towns in the country. The levels of waste generation vary according to the types of activities conducted in these towns², which are classified as residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial areas.

Residential areas include homes and living spaces; commercial areas include farmers’ markets, departmental stores, and hotels; institutional areas include government offices and educational centers; and industrial regions include cinemas, museums, and casinos.

Two Methods To Use For Waste Generation Reports

Here are two models to determine the quantity of waste production: RA and MFA. Using the RA method to determine the global waste generated depends on two factors: 

1. The GDP growth with an accurately recorded literature on the relationship between economic growth and municipal waste generation per capita and
2. The population growth at the country level

We measure a country’s economic growth by GDP per capita. As the economy advances and thrives, the country's waste increases per capita. Researchers believe proper documentation of the relationship between GDP and municipal waste generation is applicable globally.

You can calculate global waste disposal using the world's GDP per capita. The results from the first factor will determine the multiplication of municipal waste per capita by the population data. 

MFA is an approach to calculating municipal solid waste by linking the extracted resources with the total waste generated. In the global waste index, about 20-22.5% of extracted resources are in landfills. It considers the life cycle of materials and products.

5 Countries with the most municipal solid waste generation

We are discussing the countries with the most municipal solid waste generation based on the 2022 global waste index released by Sensoneo. The global waste index got its data by analyzing the waste management efficiency of 38 countries. Sensoneo considered factors such as waste incineration, recycling, landfill, and waste unaccounted for per capita. 

1. The United States

The United States is one of the biggest waste polluters in the world. The country produces three times the average global waste. Like many developed nations, the U.S. has a booming economy and a large population. It is the largest waste producer across these parameters: plastic waste, municipal waste, hazardous waste, and food waste. 

In 2018, the United States produced 12% of the global municipal solid waste. The 2022 global waste index shows that the United States produced 811 kg per capita, making the U.S. a significant waste producer per capita worldwide.

The country produces more waste than it recycles. It recycles only 190 kg of waste per capita. 402 kg goes to landfills, while 95 kilograms go to waste incineration plants. America is the only developed country producing much more waste than it recycles. 

2. China

China is one of the largest waste producers among the world’s population. As its waste generation rates increase, it has cemented its position among countries worldwide for decades. According to Statista, China produces 15.5% of global municipal waste.

The country produced 242.06 million tons of waste in 2019 and 235.12 million tons in 2020. The trash generated increased by 13 million tons in 2021, making it 248.69 million tons. In 2022, the country produced 244.45 million tons of garbage. Additionally, 2020 was the first time since 1990 that China produced less waste.

The constant increase in China’s waste generation rates is a direct environmental impact of its constantly and rapidly growing population. Before 2018, some countries exported some of their waste to China. The Chinese government banned waste importation to improve waste management.

China has the worst waste management practices. Landfills are China's means of managing waste. However, at some point, they ran out of land space, which led to illegal waste disposal and waste incineration.

3. Turkey

Next on our list of countries with the most waste is Turkey. The global waste index shows that Turkey produces 424 kg of waste per capita. It sends 47 kg of recyclable materials to recycling plants out of the waste per capita. Turkey doesn’t incinerate waste but sends 347 kg to landfills and 176 kg to open dump areas. 

The waste management report for 2022 shows Turkey produced 109.2 million tons of waste. Of this, 29.4 million tons were hazardous waste from manufacturing industries, thermal power plants, mining centers, households, and organized industrial zones. The manufacturing industry contributed the most waste, at 28 million tons.

Furthermore, Turkey is a country buying garbage from European Countries. It became a primary buyer after 2018, when China banned the importation of garbage. Turkey receives about 400,000 tons of plastic waste, 400,000 tons of paper waste, and 13 million tons of scrap metal.

Europe exported about 14.7 million tons of waste to Turkey in 2021, while the United Kingdom exported 122,898 tons of plastic waste. Plastic manufacturing is one of Turkey's booming industries. Turkey is the second-largest producer of plastic in Europe and the seventh-largest globally.

Turkey produces more waste yearly. According to research coordinated by an environmental organization in 2021, Turkey produced 3.9 million tons of plastic waste. Excess waste leads to illegal dumping in the environment.

Recyclable waste earmarked for about 2,000 recycling plants is environmentally harmful. A comprehensive analysis of chemicals and workers’ medical reports shows that workers suffer from respiratory problems, endocrine disruption, and genetic mutations. 

4. Canada

According to the global waste index, Canada recycles only a fraction of its waste per capita. Canada produces 706 kg of waste per capita, making it one of the biggest waste polluters. It sends 643 kilograms per capita of this waste to landfills. 

In 2020, waste per capita was 687 kg. The amount of solid waste disposed of in Canada from 2002 to 2020 increased by 5.3 million tons³. Also, the amount of waste disposed of in landfills or through incineration increased by 2 million tons. 

5. New Zealand

New Zealand produces 781 kg of waste per capita and recycles 255 kilograms. The country sends about 700 kilograms to landfills. Yearly, New Zealand produces 17.49 million tons of garbage and sends 12.59 million to landfills. Out of these waste products, about 306,169 tons are plastic waste, and only 45,000 tons are recycled.

Conclusion

Countries worldwide produce different quantities of waste that comprise the global waste record after a lengthy sorting process. The amount of waste generated is at an all-time high after the pandemic in 2020. It might be due to increased disposable items like COVID-19 rapid tests, medical masks, cardboard sleeves, etc. 

Colombia produces the lowest waste per capita worldwide. Hopefully, other countries like Germany, South Korea, and Sweden will follow Colombia's example of improved waste management practices and not partake in the great recycling myth.