Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Municipal waste recycled was 7.66 million in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
7.66 million
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
11th
of 91 countries
All-time high
8.64 million
in 2016
All-time low
2.84 million
in 2000
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2023

2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M2000201120232000: 2.8M2001: 3.2M2002: 3.7M2003: 4.7M2004: 5.7M2005: 6.4M2006: 7.1M2007: 7.7M2008: 7.8M2009: 7.9M2010: 8.1M2011: 8.1M2012: 8.2M2013: 8.5M2014: 8.5M2015: 8.6M2016: 8.6M2017: 8.3M2018: 8.4M2019: 8.3M2020: 8.0M2021: 8.2M2022: 7.7M2023: 7.7M

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

The most recent figure for municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 7.66 million, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 8.64 million in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.84 million, in 2000.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 11th out of 91 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2000 2.84 million
2001 3.18 million +12.2%
2002 3.73 million +17.4%
2003 4.70 million +25.9%
2004 5.66 million +20.4%
2005 6.36 million +12.5%
2006 7.11 million +11.7%
2007 7.68 million +8.1%
2008 7.78 million +1.2%
2009 7.89 million +1.5%
2010 8.07 million +2.3%
2011 8.13 million +0.8%
2012 8.17 million +0.5%
2013 8.46 million +3.5%
2014 8.47 million +0.1%
2015 8.56 million +1.1%
2016 8.64 million +1.0%
2017 8.32 million -3.7%
2018 8.39 million +0.7%
2019 8.31 million -0.9%
2020 8.03 million -3.4%
2021 8.17 million +1.7%
2022 7.74 million -5.3%
2023 7.66 million -1.0%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2003 +25.9% 3.73 million 4.70 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.69 million 2.84 million 7.89 million 10
2010s 8.35 million 8.07 million 8.64 million 10
2020s 7.90 million 7.66 million 8.17 million 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 8 Spain 9.32 million compare
  2. 9 Thailand 9.31 million compare
  3. 10 Japan 8.04 million compare
  4. 11 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 7.66 million compare
  5. 13 Canada 6.75 million compare
  6. 14 Malaysia 5.40 million compare

See the full ranking of 94 places →

More environment data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 7.66 million in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest municipal waste recycled recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 8.64 million in 2016.
What is the lowest municipal waste recycled recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 2.84 million in 2000.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for municipal waste recycled?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 11th out of 91 countries with data for 2023.
Is municipal waste recycled rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/municipal-waste-recycled-tonnes/united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/municipal-waste-recycled-tonnes/united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland/">Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
94 places, 1,587 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed