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Which are the world’s most wasteful countries?

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Recent studies have concluded that the average household produces more than a tonne of waste every year. Global e-card business, eCo2 Greetings, has stated that household waste has increased by 30% during festive periods, such as Christmas. This is obviously not the case for all households around the world, so eCo2 Greetings has compiled some research on the world’s most wasteful countries. They found that while recycling rates around the world are increasing, so too are the populations and their consumption habits.Ten years ago, the average person produced around 650g of waste every day. Today, that volume of waste has increased to over 1.2kg. The World Bank also released a report stating that the amount of household waste being produced every year is increasing quicker than the rate of urbanisation. By 2025, the organisation believes there will be 1.4 billion more people living in cities across the world, producing an average of 1.42kg of waste per day.

The world’s most wasteful countries

As global household waste volumes steadily increase, the results of eCo2 Greetings’ study reveal some interesting facts. Firstly, the top producers of waste per capita are not urbanised, developed countries. Instead, small island nations lead the ranks:
  1. Kuwait - 5.7kg of waste per person per day
  2. Antigua and Barbuda - 5.5kg of waste per person per day
  3. St. Kitts and Nevis - 5.4kg of waste per person per day
  4. Guyana - 5.3kg of waste per person per day
  5. Sri Lanka - 5.1kg of waste per person per day
This is attributed to the high volumes of tourists that visit these idyllic islands. Large volumes of visitors bring with them a large amount of waste. Furthermore, these small islands do not have the necessary infrastructure to recycle and process these large quantities of waste.In developed countries, the following have been found to be the top producers of waste:
  1. New Zealand (13th overall) - 3.7kg of waste per person per day
  2. Ireland (14th overall) - 3.6kg of waste per person per day
  3. Norway (19th overall) - 2.8kg of waste per person per day
  4. Switzerland (21st overall) - 2.6kg of waste per person per day
  5. United States (22nd overall) - 2.6kg of waste per person per day
These countries do have the necessary waste management facilities to deal with their discarded goods, foods, electronics and packaging.

African countries ranked

The situation in Africa is a bit more positive - of the African countries, the following generate the most waste per capita per day:
  1. South Africa (42nd overall) - 2.0kg of waste per person per day
  2. Morocco (62nd overall) - 1.5kg of waste per person per day
  3. Egypt (65th overall) - 1.4kg of waste per person per day
  4. Algeria (78th overall) - 1.2kg of waste per person per day
  5. Botswana (94th overall) - 1.0kg of waste per person per day
South Africa tops the charts for the continent, but how do our neighbours compare?
  1. South Africa (42nd overall) - 2.0kg of waste per person per day
  2. Botswana (94th overall) - 1.0kg of waste per person per day
  3. Zimbabwe (125th overall) - 530g of waste per person per day
  4. Swaziland (131st overall) - 510g of waste per person per day
  5. Lesotho (137th overall) - 500g of waste per person per day
  6. Namibia (140th overall) - 500g of waste per person per day
  7. Mozambique (161st overall) - 140g of waste per person per day
___Averda is a leading waste management provider with over 50 years of experience across three continents. Through growth, transformation and engagement, we strive to find new ways of managing waste while protecting the community and environment. ___By pairing international expertise with local insights, we have secured our position as one of South Africa’s most respected providers of waste management and industrial cleaning services. We also operate in the recycling, pipe inspection, CCTV, infrastructure inspection, hydro-demolition, high-pressure water jetting and catalyst handling industries. ___Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for the best tips on recycling and the latest industry news. See our Instagram and YouTube channels for more insights into environmental affairs and our work with local communities.