Waste - Drivers and pressures (Denmark)

Generation of total waste in Denmark increases at similar rates as the economic development. The increase in total waste generation per capita was 45 % from 1994 to 2008, compared with an increase in GNP per capita of 32 %. The total amount of waste generated per capita per day was approximately 7.8 kg in 2008.

Figure 5 (9.5.1modified). Index for total waste generation per capita, material consumption (DMI=Direct Material Input) and gross national production (GNP). Source: Statistics Denmark, Danish Environmental Protection Agency, ISAG 2009.

The generation of waste from private households amounted to approximately 23 % of total waste generation in 2008. The waste generation per capita increased by 43 % from 1994 to 2008, in which period private consumption increased by 22 %. In 2008, household waste generation per capita amounted to 1.8 kg.

Figure 6: Household consumption and waste generation per capita. Source: Statistics Denmark