Denmark's tops in trash, Germany's No. 1 in recycling

While the fact that the EU generated nearly a half-tonne of municipal waste per person last year might sound less than encouraging, the good news is that nearly 40 percent of that waste was recycled or composted.

That’s according to a new report from Eurostat (PDF), which also found that 42 percent of municipal waste went to landfills while another 20 percent was incinterated.

Not all EU nations waste equally, however. The report named Denmark as the largest waste producer (an average of 801 kilograms per person) and the Czech Republic as the country generating the least trash (294 kilograms per person).

Where all that waste goes also varies widely from country to country. While Bulgarians send 100 percent of their garbage to landfills, Germany recycled 46 percent of its waste and Austria composted 38 percent of its trash.

“Municipal waste consists to a large extent of waste generated by households; the figures reflect differences in consumption behaviour,” the report states.