The average Macedonian produced 417 kilograms of garbage last year, almost all of which ended up in landfills. This is almost five percent less (about 20 kilograms less) than in the previous year, 2024, and less than the European average. In total, 755.7 thousand tons of garbage were generated in the country, and almost 640 thousand tons of municipal waste ended up in landfills. Although we produced less garbage, municipal companies collected more than in 2024.
“The increase is due to the increased number of settlements included in the collective waste collection system,” the State Statistics Office (SSO)said in a press release.
Statistics also measured the waste generated by economic activity in the country – our industry generated 1.2 million tons or 655 kilograms per capita per year in 2024. This is drastically less than the European average, where industry can generate several thousand kilograms of industrial waste per capita.The majority of municipal waste, as much as 84 percent, comes directly from Macedonian households, while the remaining 16 percent is generated by the commercial sector – shops, restaurants, and offices, which dispose of their garbage in special municipal containers.
The structure of household waste shows that very little is selected in our country. A huge part, 553,000 tons of waste, is mixed waste. Of the selected waste, almost 35,000 tons were organic waste, 15,500 tons were plastic, 10,000 tons were paper and very little was metal.
The most garbage is produced and collected in the Skopje region, and the least waste is collected in the Northeast region.
In 2024, according to data from the State Statistics Office, Macedonian industry produced about 1.2 million tons of waste. This is a 14 percent drop compared to the previous two years. Almost half (about 550,000 tons of garbage) is produced by the processing industry. Although massive, this waste is mostly non-hazardous.
Then comes the waste generated by mining and quarrying. According to available data, this sector is responsible for as much as 97 percent of the total hazardous waste in the country. The energy sector generates around 185,000 tons of waste (ash and slag).
“The amount of waste sent for recycling is 585 thousand tons. According to the types of waste sent for recycling, the largest amount of waste is from the categories: metal waste (mixed colored and uncolored), ferrous metal waste, paper and cardboard waste, and plastic waste. Of the waste generated, 39 thousand tons is stored waste,”reads the press release.
