Waste generation (excluding major mineral wastes) with respect to the GDP

Scope
Circular economy
Action line
Production and consumption
Type of indicator (global, European, national)
  • European
  • National
Correlation with other sets of indicators
Description
The indicator is defined as all the waste generated within a country (in mass units), excluding the main mining waste, per GDP unit.
Calculation method

$$\frac{\textit{Waste generated (excl. main mining)}^{t}}{\textit{GDP}^{t}} \cdot 100$$

,where \(GDP^{t}\) is the Gross Domestic Product, year t.

Unit of measure
Kilograms divided by thousands of euros
Periodicity
Annual
Disaggregated data(Gender, age, region in Spain, other)
Come from National Statistics Plan (YES/NO)
Yes
Statistical operation
Waste accounts (ISO code: 30095)
Responsible institution
Date of the last metadata update
05/06/2024
Observations

Major mining waste is excluded because the weight of total waste generation and treatment is primarily due to rock waste from construction/demolition and mining activities. The exclusion of major mining waste more accurately reflects overall trends than total waste and improves comparability between countries.

Comparing waste generated to GDP reflects the waste intensity of the economy and provides a measure of 'eco-efficiency'. Observing its change from one year to the next provides an assessment on the economy's capability of producing more wealth and, at the same time, generating less waste.