Analysis of Waste Treatment in the European Union

This paper focuses on the analysis of waste treated within the European Union, for the conditions provided by EUROSTAT for the evaluation of the evolution of the amounts of waste, both hazardous and non-hazardous, in the period 2006-2020. The methodology involves the analysis of key statistical indicators such as minimum, maximum, mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation and growth rate. The main aim of the work is to identify the countries that have managed the largest volume of waste and to assess their progress in this regard. The findings show a steady increase in the total amount of waste treated in the EU between 2006 and 2017, reaching a peak of 2.11 billion tonnes, slightly falling to 1.97 billion tonnes in 2020. In terms of treated waste, Germany, France and Italy are among the countries with the largest amounts, while for hazardous waste, Germany, Bulgaria and France are in the lead. On the other hand, Malta, Latvia and Cyprus are at the bottom of the ranking in terms of waste management in general.