Waste from households, 2007

In 2007, every Norwegian generated 429 kilos of household waste on average, resulting in 2 million tonnes in total. Around half of this was sorted and sent to recovery plants.

The figures show that household waste generation increased by 5.0 per cent from 2006 to 2007. This is less than the increase in household consumption, measured in NOK. The figures do not include discarded vehicles and other waste not covered by the municipal waste collection services.

More waste is sorted

A total of 1 036 000 tonnes of household waste was sorted and sent to recovery in 2007, an increase of 5 per cent increase compared with 2006. On average, every Norwegian sorted 219 kilos of waste in 2007 compared to 208 kilos in 2006.

In this context, sorted and sent to recovery mean that the waste is pre-sorted in the households or at the waste disposal plants. After sorting, the waste is normally recycled, composted or incinerated for energy utilisation, but residues from sorting are in most cases disposed of in landfills.

More goes to final disposal

The amount of household waste that goes to final disposal increased by 5 per cent compared with 2006. Around 380 000 tonnes of household waste was placed on landfills. In 2007, around 762 000 tonnes of household waste was incinerated, an increase of 1 per cent from 2006.

Increase in annual fees

The average annual fee for the waste sector is NOK 2 033 per household in 2008, an increase of 5 per cent compared with 2007. The average annual fees are highest in the municipalities in the county of Finnmark, with an average of NOK 2 555, while the municipalities in Østfold have the lowest annual fees by an average of NOK 1 632.

The waste service fees are set by the municipal authorities, in accordance with full cost regulations. According to the Pollution Control Act, all the costs of the services must be reflected by the fees, but the revenues must not exceed the municipal cost of the services.

74 per cent of the population live in municipalities with a fee calculation basis, per tonne collected household waste, less than NOK 2 000. This constitutes 40 per cent of the municipalities, and shows that the more densely populated municipalities have the lowest costs.

The figures are compiled based on a census conducted by Statistics Norway in all Norwegian municipalities and inter-municipal waste management companies (excluding Svalbard).

Tables:

• Table 1 Household waste by county. Percentage, waste sent for recovery, including energy recovery. 1995-2007
• Table 2 Household waste sent for recovery, by material. County. 1992-2007. 1 000 tonnes and tonnes
• Table 3 Household waste, by disposal. 1992-2007. 1 000 tonnes
• Table 4 Percentage of inhabitants living in municipalities offering collection at home of sorted waste fractions. 2002-2007 (Corrected 20 June 2008 at 1130)