One Year of Global Waste Visualized

One Year of Global Waste Visualized
Waste generation is expected to jump to 3.4 billion tonnes over the next 30 years, compared to 2.2 billion in 2019.
This is due to a number of factors, such as population growth, urbanization, and economic growth.
In this graphic by Northstar Clean Technologies, we show waste generation worldwide and discuss its impact and how it can be reduced.
The Growing Pile of Global Waste
The United States is the worldโs most wasteful country, with each American producing a whopping 809 kg (1780 lbs) of waste every year.
Approximately half of the countryโs yearly waste will meet its fate in one of the more than 2,000 active landfills across the nation. The country also has the largest landfill in the world, Apex, located in Clark County, Nevada.
The United States is followed by other industrialized countries like Denmark, New Zealand, Canada, and Switzerland based on average annual per capita municipal waste generation.
Country | Average Annual per Capita Municipal Waste Generation (kg) |
---|---|
๐บ๐ธ United States | 809 |
๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark | 781 |
๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand | 727 |
๐จ๐ฆ Canada | 706 |
๐จ๐ญ Switzerland | 706 |
๐ฎ๐ธ Iceland | 656 |
๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel | 644 |
๐ฉ๐ช Germany | 633 |
๐ฎ๐ช Ireland | 616 |
๐ฑ๐บ Luxembourg | 607 |
๐ฆ๐น Austria | 570 |
๐ฆ๐บ Australia | 560 |
๐ซ๐ท France | 514 |
๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands | 513 |
๐ซ๐ฎ Finland | 510 |
๐ฌ๐ท Greece | 504 |
๐ฎ๐น Italy | 489 |
Compared to those in developed nations, residents in developing countries are more severely impacted by unsustainably managed waste. In low-income countries, over 90% of waste is often disposed of in unregulated dumps or openly burned, according to the World Bank.
In this scenario, the need for authorities to provide adequate waste treatment has become ever more important. However, less than 20% of waste is recycled each year, with huge quantities still sent to landfill sites.
Repurposing Waste
One of the major sources of waste is the construction industry. Every year, around 12 million tons of used asphalt shingles are dumped into landfills across North America.
Similar to roads, asphalt shingles have oil as the primary component, which is especially harmful to the environment.
However, using technology, the primary components in shingles can be repurposed into liquid asphalt, aggregates, and fiber for use in road construction, embankments, and new shingles.
Providing the construction industry with clean, sustainable processing solutions is also a big business opportunity. Canada alone is a $1.3 billion market for recovering and reprocessing shingles.
Even though 100% zero waste may sound difficult to achieve in the near future, a zero waste approach is essential to reduce our impact on the environment.
Northstar Clean Technologiesโ mission is to be the leader in the recovery and reprocessing of asphalt shingles in North America.

-
Demographics1 day ago
Mapped: The World’s Happiest Countries in 2023
Where do the happiest people on earth live? This map is a snapshot of the world’s most (and least) happy countries in 2023.
-
Money5 days ago
The Richest People in the World in 2023
The world’s five richest people are worth a combined $729 billion. From luxury moguls to Asia’s rising titans, we show the richest in 2023.
-
Precious Metals6 days ago
Charted: 30 Years of Central Bank Gold Demand
Globally, central banks bought a record 1,136 tonnes of gold in 2022. How has central bank gold demand changed over the last three decades?
-
Maps6 days ago
Mapped: Minimum Wage Around the World
This infographic shows the net minimum wage across 67 countries, as of January 2023. A breakdown by U.S. state is also included.
-
Datastream6 days ago
Will Connected Cars Break the Internet?
By 2025, connected cars could produce 10 exabytes (exabyte = 1B gigabytes) of data per month, a thousand-fold increase over current volumes.
-
Debt7 days ago
The Growing Auto Loan Problem Facing Young Americans
After a borrowing spree during COVID-19, younger Americans are struggling to keep up with their auto loan payments.