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The world’s most wasteful rich countries revealed

What a load of rubbish
30. Spain: 0.36 tonnes per person
29. Portugal: 0.38 tonnes
Joint 26. France: 0.39 tonnes
Joint 26. Ireland: 0.39 tonnes
Joint 26. Netherlands: 0.39 tonnes
25. Russian Federation: 0.4 tonnes
Joint 21. Austria: 0.41 tonnes
Joint 21. Cyprus: 0.41 tonnes
Joint 21. Faroe Islands: 0.41 tonnes
Joint 21. Greece: 0.41 tonnes
20. Saudi Arabia: 0.43 tonnes
19. Luxembourg: 0.45 tonnes
18. Qatar: 0.46 tonnes
17. United Arab Emirates: 0.47 tonnes
16. Israel: 0.48 tonnes
Joint 14. Macau: 0.49 tonnes
Joint 14. Switzerland: 0.49 tonnes
13. Hong Kong: 0.51 tonnes
12. United States: 0.53 tonnes
11. Singapore: 0.54 tonnes
10. Canada: 0.56 tonnes
Joint 8. Denmark: 0.58 tonnes
Joint 8. Malta: 0.58 tonnes
7. Bahrain: 0.61 tonnes
6. Iceland: 0.7 tonnes
5. Guam: 0.73 tonnes
4. Channel Islands: 0.78 tonnes
3. Cayman Islands: 0.8 tonnes
2. Monaco: 1.16 tonnes
1. Bermuda: 1.24 tonnes
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miquelito / Shutterstock.com

What a load of rubbish

According to the World Bank’s waste report, which calculates the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated by each country, the US Virgin Islands is the planet's most wasteful country. But that’s only part of the story as recycling rates are not available for all countries, such as the Virgin Islands or New Zealand. We reviewed the tonnes of waste generated per person after recycling, and found a very different story of the 30 richest yet most wasteful countries...
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Suzanne Locke

22 January 2019

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