In 2018, Luxembourg’s inhabitants threw away 194 kilograms of waste per capita. This nevertheless marks a step in the right direction, as five years prior, in 2013, there was an additional 30 kilograms of waste per capita. Overall, there has been a 13% reduction in how much waste Luxembourgers throw away.
As for what is thrown into black bins, a third of this is biological waste, a fifth is metallic waste, and a fifth is paper and carton.
The report also noted that the annual average of metallic coffee capsules thrown out amounts to 956 tonnes, or 55 million individual capsules.
The ministry’s analysis also discovered that people throw cash notes and coins away. The analysis also calculated the total of money thrown away, which amounts to an annual average of €100,000.
The examination also broke down what kind of plastic is not recycled. The largest proportion of plastic thrown into non-recyclable waste bins was cigarette packets, followed by plastic made up from cotton swabs, straws, and plastic cups.
Five tips for a low-waste lifestyleMinister for the Environment Carole Dieschbourg saw the conclusion as crystal clear. If all municipal authorities and waste syndicates introduce obligatory recycling and waste separation systems, around 64% of waste thrown into black bins could be saved.
Another conclusion was that residents of municipalities which calculate the cost of bins based on weight tended to be more careful with what goes into their black bins. The minister said if all municipalities introduced such calculations, rather than a cost per bin, the quantity of waste could drop by 75 kg per capita.
The analysis of non-recyclable waste took bins from 16 municipalities over half a year and manually sorted waste into 30 categories.
Please see Zara Castagna’s ‘Redcucing Waste’ series here.
PDF: Non-recyclable waste graphic
