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Municipal waste

Municipal waste Catalonia Value (tonnes)
Total generation of municipal waste Separately collected waste Organic fraction Glass and paper Other waste separately collected Mixed municipal waste (Residual fraction) Landfill (1) Incineration (1) Recovery of mechanical and biological treatment materials (2)
2022 3,980,626 1,882,085 446,453 593,924 841,709 2,098,541 969,812 627,065 134,743
2021 4,027,028 1,877,615 440,206 602,397 835,012 2,149,413 1,088,904 641,657 157,198
2020 3,973,194 1,824,099 421,212 595,628 807,260 2,149,095 1,100,554 575,359 136,929
2019 4,046,615 1,816,924 439,518 608,996 768,410 2,229,691 1,127,973 632,806 146,712
2018 3,975,679 1,659,213 414,905 505,010 739,298 2,316,466 1,264,577 630,404 140,562
2017 3,844,296 1,532,952 385,786 475,890 671,276 2,311,344 1,276,736 640,777 128,738
2016 3,732,975 1,441,633 378,150 429,991 633,493 2,291,342 1,207,054 663,673 132,277
2015 3,706,244 1,444,591 378,879 458,096 607,616 2,261,653 1,296,228 752,671 117,678
2014 3,641,364 1,390,460 381,284 433,554 575,622 2,250,905 1,447,764 694,197 101,828
2013 3,588,638 1,361,816 379,685 420,668 561,463 2,226,822 1,396,983 717,209 85,262
2012 3,735,950 1,460,690 389,242 487,433 584,015 2,275,260 1,561,293 (b) Break in time series 691,204 (b) Break in time series 22,763
2011 4,044,112 1,642,049 411,770 589,272 641,007 2,402,063 1,064,038 480,707 z Category not applicable
2010 4,189,956 1,698,667 410,011 640,330 648,326 2,491,289 1,453,797 504,791 z Category not applicable
2009 4,198,594 1,575,717 340,674 619,655 615,387 2,622,878 1,644,987 629,981 z Category not applicable
2008 4,275,171 1,471,136 315,804 615,100 540,232 2,804,035 1,843,954 547,602 z Category not applicable
2007 4,300,509 1,444,920 304,328 610,508 530,084 2,855,589 1,925,084 567,055 z Category not applicable
2006 4,269,436 1,364,140 256,077 603,177 504,886 2,905,295 2,110,953 655,951 z Category not applicable
2005 4,197,916 1,222,171 215,373 564,473 442,324 2,975,745 2,102,554 677,892 z Category not applicable
2004 4,130,590 1,050,092 178,073 479,760 392,259 3,080,498 2,154,062 717,145 z Category not applicable
2003 3,943,039 892,540 150,335 401,986 340,218 3,050,500 2,168,293 744,380 z Category not applicable
2002 3,721,843 736,790 105,532 370,078 261,181 2,985,053 2,355,390 629,663 z Category not applicable
2001 3,583,555 603,675 36,492 320,751 246,432 2,979,880 2,285,026 694,854 z Category not applicable
2000 3,475,226 485,071 28,386 231,508 225,177 2,990,155 2,277,546 712,609 z Category not applicable
Source: Agència de Residus de Catalunya.
El total de la Recollida no selectiva de residus (Fracció resta) inclou les pèrdues de degradació que no es comptabilitzen.
(1) Destí final de la fracció resta a dipòsit controlat o incineració. A partir del 2012 inclou residus enviats directament a dipòsit més sortides de tractament mecànic i biològic.
(2) Materials valoritzables obtinguts en el tractament de la fracció resta a tractament mecànic i biològic.
(b) Break in time series.
(z) Category not applicable.
Municipal waste Spain Value (tonnes)
Total generation of municipal waste Separately collected waste Glass and paper Other waste separately collected Mixed municipal waste (Residual fraction) Landfill (1) Incineration (1) Recovery of mechanical and biological treatment materials (2) Composting of mechanical and biological treatment materials
2022 .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available
2021 .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available
2020 21,989,316 5,536,537 2,168,882 3,367,655 16,452,778 10,171,708 2,023,917 684,917 3,572,237
2019 22,261,690 5,227,460 2,192,404 3,035,056 17,034,229 10,677,702 2,264,689 742,119 3,349,719
2018 22,264,824 4,618,261 1,902,148 2,716,113 17,646,563 11,291,932 2,435,989 786,394 3,132,247
2017 22,017,864 4,560,155 1,877,262 2,682,893 17,457,709 10,840,858 2,649,080 660,153 3,307,618
2016 21,541,841 4,400,474 1,819,094 2,581,380 17,141,367 11,243,693 2,461,339 671,425 2,764,910
2015 21,157,827 4,051,651 1,764,567 2,287,084 17,106,176 11,770,702 2,580,003 868,739 1,886,732
2014 20,836,408 3,949,467 1,710,760 2,238,707 16,886,941 11,632,449 2,293,619 595,741 2,365,132
2013 21,184,217 3,863,515 1,709,156 2,154,359 17,320,704 11,371,949 2,387,120 535,220 3,026,415
2012 21,896,335 3,984,870 1,821,121 2,163,749 17,911,465 12,945,352 (b) Break in time series 2,087,878 (b) Break in time series 774,427 2,103,808
2011 21,934,514 3,647,476 2,023,034 1,624,442 18,287,038 6,219,379 939,123 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2010 22,671,228 3,862,561 2,271,365 1,591,196 18,808,667 7,145,419 890,072 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2009 23,575,435 3,233,697 1,748,516 1,485,181 20,341,738 6,947,031 892,488 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2008 24,049,826 3,430,066 1,792,456 1,637,610 20,619,760 9,614,343 1,226,446 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2007 23,562,199 2,668,897 1,709,624 959,273 20,893,302 11,264,648 1,337,879 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2006 23,648,032 2,519,340 1,510,962 1,008,378 21,128,692 11,512,481 1,456,105 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2005 22,353,152 2,133,435 1,360,352 773,083 20,219,717 11,183,184 1,457,467 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2004 22,735,142 2,036,048 1,176,695 859,353 20,699,094 11,020,097 1,514,971 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2003 21,444,705 1,806,873 1,082,413 724,460 19,637,832 11,427,951 1,338,835 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2002 20,465,614 1,554,167 974,001 580,166 18,911,447 11,360,285 1,226,972 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2001 19,124,750 1,189,382 899,943 289,439 17,935,368 10,926,524 1,080,056 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
2000 18,925,109 .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available 1,067,442 .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available 17,857,667 11,283,980 1,061,361 z Category not applicable z Category not applicable
Source: Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge. Annual report on waste generation and management.
(1) Destí final de la fracció resta a dipòsit controlat o incineració. A partir del 2012 inclou residus enviats directament a dipòsit més sortides de tractament mecànic i biològic.
(2) Materials valoritzables obtinguts en el tractament de la fracció resta a tractament mecànic i biològic.
(b) Break in time series.
(z) Category not applicable.
(..) Confidential data, low reliability or not available.

Last update: October 23, 2023.

Methodological note

Waste is considered to be any substance whose holder disposes of or has the intention or obligation to dispose of. Municipal waste is the rubbish generated by households, shops, offices and services, waste not considered to be hazardous; its nature or composition allows it to assimilated into the waste produced in various places or activities (street cleaning, parks and green spaces, deceased pets and rubble from minor construction works).

The waste generation coefficient refers to the daily kilograms of waste generated per inhabitant. For its calculation, the estimated population as of July 1 has been used.

Selective collection consists of separating materials (called fractions) in order to obtain resources and other materials or to be able to treat them to obtain new raw materials and thus convert them into material and/or energy resources.

In order to obtain good-quality materials and/or resources, it is very important that this separation be done correctly, as the presence of improper waste (waste that does not correspond to the fraction in question) hinders the process.

Waste that has not been selectively collected may be treated prior to disposal or before going to its final destination. This involves subjecting it to mechanical and biological treatment (TMB) which degrades the organic content and reduces the amount of waste for final treatment (controlled landfill or incineration/energy recovery).

Primary treatment is considered to be the first treatment that waste receives after collection, which is TMB in the case of non-separately collected waste (residual fraction or mixed waste). If the residual fraction is not subjected to pre-treatment, it goes directly to controlled landfill or is sent for incineration/energy recovery. In this case, the primary treatment coincides with the final treatment.

The final destination includes data on waste sent directly to controlled landfill and incineration/energy recovery as the primary destination and the output waste from pre-treatment (waste obtained after passing through the TMB plant).

In the data for Spain provided by the Spanish Ministry, the composting item and the corresponding data refer to both separately collected organic waste and TMB treatment of the residual fraction. It is not currently comparable with the data for Catalonia.

Until 2011 the mixed waste collection data considered the non-selective collection of waste by primary destination. Since 2012 they have referred to the non-selective collection of waste by final destination.

For the years 2000-2003, the data on mixed waste collection for Spain include information on uncontrolled landfill.