The global waste management market is projected to reach $2.63 trillion by 2030. Meanwhile, food waste still accounts for a third of municipal solid waste, and less than 10% of plastic is recycled annually.
Key Takeaways
- The World Bank estimated that municipal solid waste management requires investment of about $37 billion per year to close gaps in low- and middle-income countries (2019/2020 World Bank synthesis)
- In 2018, global plastic waste had a potential economic value of about $80–120 billion if properly recycled (OECD/World Economic Forum synthesis)
- In 2018, the OECD estimated that global waste generation could reach 3.4 billion tonnes by 2050 with disposal-related costs rising (OECD outlook)
- 33% of global municipal solid waste is made up of food waste
- 44.2 million tonnes of plastic waste were generated globally in 2019
- Global plastic recycling was 9% in 2018, rising to 10% in 2019 (OECD, The Global Plastics Outlook)
- The EU composting rate for municipal waste was 15% in 2020 (Eurostat)
- The EU recycling rate for packaging waste was 68.5% in 2022 (Eurostat)
- According to the IMF, global solid waste management markets total $237 billion in 2019 and are expected to grow to $411 billion by 2026
- By 2030, the global waste management market is forecast to reach $2.63 trillion
- The global recycling market was valued at $484.4 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $1,030.7 billion by 2032
- In 2019, 19% of plastic waste was landfilled and 40% was openly dumped or disposed in uncontrolled sites
- A 2016 peer-reviewed meta-analysis estimated that recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions by about 1.1–1.4 tonnes CO2e per tonne of material recycled for many material types (LCA ranges vary)
- A 2020 peer-reviewed study estimated that waste incineration can lead to measurable increases in local air pollution exposure for nearby populations, with cancer risk depending on controls and site
- In the OECD, landfill accounted for 29% of municipal waste management in 2020 while recycling accounted for 33% and incineration accounted for 22% (OECD/EEA synthesis)
Global waste is surging, yet investing in recycling and circular systems could cut costs, pollution, and emissions.
Related reading
01 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
The World Bank estimated that municipal solid waste management requires investment of about $37 billion per year to close gaps in low- and middle-income countries (2019/2020 World Bank synthesis)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/brief/solid-waste-management
02
In 2018, global plastic waste had a potential economic value of about $80–120 billion if properly recycled (OECD/World Economic Forum synthesis)https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/the-future-of-plastics.pdf
03
In 2018, the OECD estimated that global waste generation could reach 3.4 billion tonnes by 2050 with disposal-related costs rising (OECD outlook)https://www.oecd.org/environment/waste/global-waste-management-outlook/
04
In 2021, the EU’s Waste Framework Directive supports investments; the European Commission estimated that meeting waste management and recycling targets would require about €72 billion of investment annually (Commission impact assessment)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52019SC0178
05
In 2020, the European Commission estimated benefits of circular economy policies in the EU at about €1 trillion by 2030 (Commission report)https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_420
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost pressures and economic opportunities are growing fast, with the World Bank estimating $37 billion per year is needed to close municipal solid waste management gaps, OECD projections pointing to higher disposal costs as waste could reach 3.4 billion tonnes by 2050, and circular economy policies potentially delivering about €1 trillion in benefits by 2030 in the EU.
02 · Category
Waste Generation2 stats
01
33% of global municipal solid waste is made up of food wastehttps://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/32626
02
44.2 million tonnes of plastic waste were generated globally in 2019https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/the-global-plastics-outlook/plastic-waste-generation_7f3e5f5d-en
Interpretation
Waste Generation Interpretation
From a Waste Generation perspective, food waste makes up 33% of global municipal solid waste, and plastic waste adds another huge stream with 44.2 million tonnes generated worldwide in 2019.
03 · Category
Recycling & Recovery3 stats
01
Global plastic recycling was 9% in 2018, rising to 10% in 2019 (OECD, The Global Plastics Outlook)https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/the-global-plastics-outlook/plastic-waste-generation-and-recovery_7f3e5f5d-en
02
The EU composting rate for municipal waste was 15% in 2020 (Eurostat)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Municipal_waste_statistics
03
The EU recycling rate for packaging waste was 68.5% in 2022 (Eurostat)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Packaging_waste_statistics
Interpretation
Recycling & Recovery Interpretation
From a Recycling and Recovery perspective, progress is uneven but clearly moving forward as global plastic recycling edged up from 9% in 2018 to 10% in 2019 while the EU pushed much higher recovery outcomes with 15% composting of municipal waste in 2020 and a 68.5% packaging waste recycling rate in 2022.
04 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
According to the IMF, global solid waste management markets total $237 billion in 2019 and are expected to grow to $411 billion by 2026https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2020/06/19/Global-Solid-Waste-Management-Markets-101149
02
By 2030, the global waste management market is forecast to reach $2.63 trillionhttps://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/waste-management-market.html
03
The global recycling market was valued at $484.4 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $1,030.7 billion by 2032https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/recycling-market
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
From a market size perspective, global waste management is expanding rapidly, rising from $237 billion in 2019 to $411 billion by 2026 and then scaling much further to a projected $2.63 trillion by 2030, with recycling alone growing from $484.4 billion in 2023 to $1,030.7 billion by 2032.
More related reading
05 · Category
Waste Disposal1 stats
01
In 2019, 19% of plastic waste was landfilled and 40% was openly dumped or disposed in uncontrolled siteshttps://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/plastics-the-global-plastics-outlook/plastic-waste-generation-and-recovery_7f3e5f5d-en
Interpretation
Waste Disposal Interpretation
In 2019, under the Waste Disposal category, 19% of plastic waste was landfilled and a much larger 40% was openly dumped or disposed in uncontrolled sites, showing that uncontrolled disposal dominates.
06 · Category
Environmental Impact3 stats
01
A 2016 peer-reviewed meta-analysis estimated that recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions by about 1.1–1.4 tonnes CO2e per tonne of material recycled for many material types (LCA ranges vary)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652616300248
02
A 2020 peer-reviewed study estimated that waste incineration can lead to measurable increases in local air pollution exposure for nearby populations, with cancer risk depending on controls and sitehttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719369319
03
In the OECD, landfill accounted for 29% of municipal waste management in 2020 while recycling accounted for 33% and incineration accounted for 22% (OECD/EEA synthesis)https://www.oecd.org/environment/waste/statistics/
Interpretation
Environmental Impact Interpretation
From an environmental impact perspective, the data suggest a tradeoff where recycling can cut greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 1.1 to 1.4 tonnes CO2e per tonne compared with disposal options, while landfill still makes up 29% of municipal waste management in the OECD in 2020 and incineration can raise nearby air pollution exposure.
07 · Category
Waste Policy & Regulation9 stats
01
The EU Landfill Directive required landfilling to be reduced to 10% of municipal waste by 2035 (target milestone progression)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018L0851
02
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive sets a recycling target of 65% for packaging waste by 2025 (Directive 94/62/EC as amended)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:01994L0062-20180704
03
The EU Waste Shipment Regulation establishes rules for shipments of waste; it applies to waste covered by Annexes and requires notification and consent for listed wastes (Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32006R1013
04
The Basel Convention regulates international movement of hazardous wastes and other wastes; as of 2023 it had 191 Partieshttps://www.basel.int/Countries/StatusofRatifications
05
The Basel Convention’s Plastic Waste Amendments (adopted 2019) include listings that enter into force on 1 January 2021 for some plastic wastes for Partieshttps://www.basel.int/Implementation/Plasticwasteamendments/Overview
06
The EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive includes a ban on certain single-use plastic products including plastic cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers and cotton buds from 2021https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019L0904
07
The EU Battery Regulation (2023) sets separate collection targets for waste batteries at 51% of collected batteries by 2023 and 73% by 2028 (targets within the regulation)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32023R1542
08
E-waste collection targets under the EU WEEE Directive require collection rates of 65% of average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market for some product categories by 2019/2020 (as implemented)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32012L0019
09
20–30% of food produced globally is lost or wasted (FAO estimate)https://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/en/
Interpretation
Waste Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Waste policy and regulation are tightening across major jurisdictions, with the EU pushing landfill down to 10% of municipal waste by 2035 and setting a 65% packaging waste recycling target for 2025, while global frameworks expand with the Basel Convention reaching 191 Parties and adding plastic waste rules from 1 January 2021.
report visual · Comparison
Global waste scale: markets and recycling
Waste management and recycling represent a growing global economic opportunity alongside rising waste streams.
The global recycling market was valued at $484.4 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $1,030.7 billion by 2032$484.4 billion
According to the IMF, global solid waste management markets total $237 billion in 2019 and are expected to grow to $411
$237 billion
By 2030, the global waste management market is forecast to reach $2.63 trillion
$2.63
source-verifiedimf.org · transparencymarketresearch.com · grandviewresearch.com2030
Reference
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APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Global Waste Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-waste-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Global Waste Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/global-waste-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Global Waste Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-waste-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)