Waste collection up in Slovenia, but recycling rate falls

Some 3.46 million tonnes of waste was collected in Slovenia in the third quarter of 2024, a 6% increase on the previous year, according to the country’s statistical office.

Construction waste accounted for the majority of waste collected (83%), with volumes rising by 5%, while municipal waste collection was up by 6%.

Among the municipal waste that was collected, biodegradable materials formed the largest category, while paper, cardboard, and metallic waste saw notable growth rates of over 25% and 20%, respectively.

Waste recycling

Despite the increase in collection, waste recycling rates dropped by double digits (11%) in the period, with some 589,000 tonnes of waste earmarked for recycling.

Waste for biogas plants decreased by 16%, while waste for composting was up 20%.

The biggest increase, however, was in the amount of waste collected for incineration purposes, for energy production – this saw a 84% increase, to 39,000 tonnes.

Backfilling volumes also saw a substantial reduction, dropping by over half a million tonnes (23%), while landfilling activities decreased by 11%.

Municipal waste

In terms of municipal waste, around 79% of waste was collected separately, underscoring the effectiveness of sorting and recycling systems among the general public, the data showed.

Among the categories of municipal waste, biodegradable waste accounted for a quarter of the total, followed by paper and cardboard (24%), mixed and composite packaging (13%), and wooden or bulky waste at over 10%. Read more here.