Cyprus has the fifth highest per capita municipal waste generation in the EU with municipal solid waste, 76.8 per cent of which is landfilled, Cyprus’ statistical service said on Thursday. 

In Cyprus, municipal waste generation per capita reached 653kg in 2023, which ranked the fifth highest among EU member states, CyStat said.

The total amount of waste in Cyprus stood at 625,000 tonnes in 2023 compared to 615,000 tonnes in 2022, recording an increase of 1.7 per cent.

From the total amount of 496,000 tonnes treated in 2023, 76.8 per cent was disposed in landfills, 16.3 per cent was used for recycling, 3.2 per cent was used for energy recovery purposes and 3.7 per cent was composted.

The average municipal waste generation per inhabitant in the European Union in 2023 was 511 kg.

The highest municipal waste generation was reported in Austria at 803kg per person in 2022.