Municipal waste (In-Cyprus)

[Devil]

Cyprus generated the second most municipal waste per person in the EU in 2017 at an estimated 637 kg per person, according to Eurostat figures released on Thursday.

These showed that the amount of municipal waste generated per person in the European Union (EU) in 2017 is estimated to amount to 486 kg. This figure is unchanged from 2016 and is 7% below the peak of 525 kg per person in 2002.

The EU Member States which generated the most municipal waste per person in 2017 were Denmark (781 kg per person), followed by Cyprus (estimated at 637 kg per person) and Germany (estimated at 633 kg per person).

This is a grossly unfair comparison. Denmark and Germany largely use their 781 kg and 633 kg of waste to generate valuable electricity and heat. Copenhagen even has a waste-to-energy plant in the middle of the city to reduce transport pollution. The weight of sterile ash/clinker produced is about 9% of the raw waste and is used as a building material. Cyprus has zilch in the way of profiting from its waste.

[jeba]

I´m also wondering whether those figure comprise waste paper and plastics which are collected separately - at least in Germany. Don´t know about Denmark but I guess it will be the same there.

[Devil]

Don't know the answer, for sure, but I would imagine the figures quoted must include the recyclables. However, a lot of paper/plastic waste goes into the WtE power stations, mainly because it is unsuitable/uneconomical (dirty/oily/sticky paper) for recycling or unidentifiable or black plastic.