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Austria's waste balance in 2025: 803 kilos per capita and fifth place in the ranking!
Austria will rise to fifth place in the Global Waste Index in 2025. 803 kg of waste is generated per capita and the recycling rate is 42%.
Austria's waste balance in 2025: 803 kilos per capita and fifth place in the ranking!
Austria has improved to fifth place in the Global Waste Index 2025, after rising from 17th place last year. According to 5min, Austrians produced 803 kilograms of waste per capita, which is over 200 kilograms more than in 2022. The index's analysis assesses the efficiency of waste management in 38 OECD countries and shows that Japan, South Korea and Estonia occupy the top three places.
A decisive factor for the increase in ranking is the significant increase in the recycling rate in Austria. In 2025, 334 kilograms of waste per capita were recycled, which corresponds to 42 percent of the total waste generated. It is noteworthy that this rate was achieved before the introduction of the national deposit system, indicating that Austria had already made progress in waste management before the implementation of new measures. Nau emphasizes that Austria plays a pioneering role across Europe in recycling.
International comparisons and waste management
In an international comparison, the Global Waste Index 2025 shows that countries such as Israel, Chile and the USA are at the bottom of the rankings. In Israel, 524 kilograms of 650 kilograms of waste generated were landfilled, which is the highest figure among the countries analyzed. In contrast, the US has increased its waste output to 951 kilograms per capita. Twelve of the 38 countries examined landfill more than half of their waste, including Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
The EU has made significant progress in sustainable waste management in recent years. In 2022, almost 2 billion tonnes of waste were treated in the EU, with waste recovery, which involves recycling and reusing materials from waste, playing a key role. As Europarl reports, the amount of waste recycled rose by 40.6 percent between 2004 and 2022.
The prospects for waste management in Austria and the EU remain positive. However, it is crucial to continue to increase recycling rates and find innovative ways to recycle waste more efficiently and avoid landfilling. In this respect, Austria has the potential to serve as an example of successful waste management for many countries.