Municipal waste recycling rate in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Municipal waste recycling rate was 27.37 Percentage in 2015. ▲ Rising
Municipal waste recycling rate in United Kingdom, 1995–2015
Source: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
The most recent figure for municipal waste recycling rate in United Kingdom is 27.37 Percentage, measured in 2015. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 51.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycling rate in United Kingdom peaked at 27.37 Percentage in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6.43 Percentage, in 1996.
United Kingdom ranks 10th of 31 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Municipal waste recycling rate in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 6.99 Percentage | — |
| 1996 | 6.43 Percentage | -8.0% |
| 1997 | 7.26 Percentage | +13.0% |
| 1998 | 8.68 Percentage | +19.6% |
| 1999 | 10.21 Percentage | +17.6% |
| 2000 | 8.35 Percentage | -18.2% |
| 2001 | 9.1 Percentage | +9.0% |
| 2002 | 10.51 Percentage | +15.4% |
| 2003 | 13.33 Percentage | +26.9% |
| 2004 | 15.68 Percentage | +17.6% |
| 2005 | 18.13 Percentage | +15.6% |
| 2006 | 20.09 Percentage | +10.8% |
| 2007 | 22.18 Percentage | +10.4% |
| 2008 | 23.41 Percentage | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 24.27 Percentage | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 25.25 Percentage | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 26.18 Percentage | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 26.82 Percentage | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 27.37 Percentage | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 27.33 Percentage | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 27.37 Percentage | +0.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 27.37 Percentage is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.24 Percentage, 1.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 27.37 Percentage is above the median for high income countries, which is 26.13 Percentage, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.91 Percentage | 6.43 Percentage | 10.21 Percentage | 5 |
| 2000s | 16.5 Percentage | 8.35 Percentage | 24.27 Percentage | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.72 Percentage | 25.25 Percentage | 27.37 Percentage | 6 |
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 recycling rate in United Kingdom?
- Municipal waste recycling rate in United Kingdom was 27.37 Percentage in 2015, according to OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 27.37 Percentage in 2015.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.43 Percentage in 1996.
- How does United Kingdom rank for municipal waste recycling rate?
- United Kingdom ranks 10th out of 31 countries with data for 2015.
- Is municipal waste recycling rate rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal waste recycling rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Municipal (including household) waste recycling rates, measured as the percentage of total waste generated that is recycled.