Austria climbs in 5: 803 kilos of garbage per capita in 2025!

Austria climbs in 5: 803 kilos of garbage per capita in 2025!

Österreich - Austria has reached the remarkable fifth place in the Global Waste Index 2025. According to 5min , every inhabitant produced impressive 803 kilograms of garbage in 2025. This represents a significant increase in over 200 kilograms compared to 2022. The ascent in the ranking from 17th to 5th place is due to a strong improvement in recycling efficiency.

With 334 kilograms of recycled waste per capita, Austria has reached a recycling rate of 42 percent. This value was remarkably achieved before the introduction of the national deposit system, which will be hoped for additional progress in the future. nau emphasizes that these successes are not only locally but also in international comparison.

the international comparison

The top positions in the global waste index are occupied by Japan, South Korea and Estonia. Austria's placement between these countries shows that the nation takes a pioneering role within Europe, especially in the area of recycling. At the other end of the ranking there are Israel, Chile and the USA, with 524 kilograms of ecologically harmful deposits in Israel of 650 kilograms per capita, which underlines the challenges there.

• 1st place: Japan
• 2nd place: South Korea
• 3rd place: Estonia
• 5th place: Austria
• 36th place: USA with 951 kilograms per capita
• 38th place: Israel with a high landfill rate

In the European discussion on waste management, it is crucial to note that more than half of their waste continues to land on landfills of the 38 evaluated OECD countries. According to Europarl Switzerland does not deposit any waste, which gives it a particularly environmentally friendly balance. Nevertheless, the deposit of waste remains a common practice in many countries, including Canada, New Zealand and Australia

summarized, the development of Austria in the global waste index shows that progress in recycling and waste management are possible. The strategy for reducing waste and increasing the recycled quota has played an important role for Austria, which should also be pursued in the coming years.