Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Municipal waste recycled was 7.66 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom stood at 7.66 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it 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 peaked at 8.64 million tonnes in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.84 million tonnes, in 2000.
United Kingdom ranks 10th of 90 countries on this measure, 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, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.84 million tonnes | — |
| 2001 | 3.18 million tonnes | +12.2% |
| 2002 | 3.73 million tonnes | +17.4% |
| 2003 | 4.70 million tonnes | +25.9% |
| 2004 | 5.66 million tonnes | +20.4% |
| 2005 | 6.36 million tonnes | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 7.11 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 2007 | 7.68 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2008 | 7.78 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 7.89 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 8.07 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 8.13 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 8.17 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 8.46 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 8.47 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 8.56 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 8.64 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 8.32 million tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 8.39 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 8.31 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 8.03 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 8.17 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 7.74 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 7.66 million tonnes | -1.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 7.66 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 948,000 tonnes, 8.1× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 7.66 million tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.06 million tonnes, 7.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +25.9% | 3.73 million tonnes | 4.70 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.69 million tonnes | 2.84 million tonnes | 7.89 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.35 million tonnes | 8.07 million tonnes | 8.64 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.90 million tonnes | 7.66 million tonnes | 8.17 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More environment data for United Kingdom
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.13 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.25 Percentage change (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -2.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -3.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.8735 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -1.29 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom?
- Municipal waste recycled in United Kingdom was 7.66 million tonnes in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycled recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 8.64 million tonnes in 2016.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycled recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.84 million tonnes in 2000.
- How does United Kingdom rank for municipal waste recycled?
- United Kingdom ranks 10th out of 90 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal waste recycled rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- 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 data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal waste recycled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes).