Waste - Drivers and pressures (Slovenia)

The quantity of waste generated is closely linked to the development of socio-economic processes. Quantities of all waste generated are increasing with the growth of gross domestic product. In 2008, waste did not increase over the previous year, in contrast to economic growth, but only the coming years will show whether Slovenia can speak of decoupling. (OD07)

In 2007 Slovenia processed and imported a total of slightly more than 61 million tonnes of various materials, almost half, 46 %, being mineral materials obtained locally, primarily rock, gravel and sand used in building. From 1992 to 2007 the quantity of raw materials for construction obtained doubled, with the consumption of materials per person rising from 16.6 tonnes a year in 1992 to 30.3 tonnes a year in 2007. There was also a considerable rise in the total mass of imports, accounting for more than a third of the materials used each year. Renewable materials obtained in Slovenia in the form of biomass, such as agricultural products, kill and wood biomass, represent just an eighth of all mass. (OD06)

In 2007 around 12 million tonnes of various materials were exported, so the indicator domestic consumption of materials in Slovenia shows the value of 49.3 million tonnes or 24.4 tonnes per person. This is as much as 87 % more than domestic consumption of materials per person in 1992. (OD06)

With the growth in incomes, consumer spending is rising. The total average expenditure per household member amounted to €7 142 in 2007 – 66 % higher than in 2000. Highest spending per household member is transport and communications, 20 % and on food and non-alcoholic beverages, 14 %. Since 2000 there has been a drop in spending on food and drink, -4 %, and on clothing and footwear, -1.3 %, while spending has increased on housing, +0.8 %, communications, +1.6 %, and on recreation and culture, +0.4 %. (PG06) The number of households and residential units in Slovenia is growing faster than the population – from 1971 to 2002 the number of households increased by 45 %, and the number of residential units by 72 %, while the population rose by just under 25 %. By 2007 there were 745,000 households in Slovenia. The proportion of small households with one or two members is increasing while the proportion of households with more than three members is falling. Smaller households have higher costs per person and a greater impact on the environment. (PG02)

According to data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, at the end of 2008 there were 830,000 residential units, 97 % of which were new-builds. This was dominated by the construction of large residential units, and 43 % of completed units in 2008 had four rooms or more. The average surface area of residential units since 2004 has exceeded 30 m² per person, and the average number of persons in a residential unit is 2.5. (PG03)

Ownership of private vehicles is rising rapidly – more than doubling over the past 20 years. In 2006 980,261 cars were registered, and the level of 488 cars per 1000 inhabitants exceeds the rate in many more economically advanced EU countries. As a result of car-friendly transport policies including increased investment in road infrastructure, increasingly uncompetitive public transport and suburbanisation based on accessibility by private vehicles, a rising proportion of the population is using private cars. (PR11)

The proportion of Slovenian households that possess a private vehicle rose to around 80 % by 2007 with around 30 % of households having two or more cars. In 2008 the proportion of public transport on the roads was almost half that of 2000. (PG08)

The development of tourism is also burdening the environment with greater quantities of waste. With the arrival of tourists there are more people at tourist destinations than permanently residents, and this increases the generation of waste. In tourist-intense areas – the coast, health resorts, mountain tourism locations – this problem is even more apparent, and waste represents a major pressure on the environment. The number of tourists increased by 27 % between 2002 and 2008. In 2008 Slovenia was visited by 1,771,237 tourists from abroad, representing 64 % of all tourists in Slovenia (TU01).

Total emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from the waste sector reached 684 Gg of carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalent in 2007, a rise of 21 % over the base year 1986. In the period 1986-2007 GHG emissions from the disposal of solid waste in landfills increased by 52 %, while emissions generated in wastewater management fell by 14 %. In 2007 GHG emissions from the waste sector accounted for a little over 3 % of all GHG emissions.

Projections of GHG emissions from waste envisage a further reduction of 16 % up to 2020. This will be achieved primarily by reducing the quantities of biodegradable waste going to landfill, through more active separation of waste at source, heat treatment and capture of landfill gas.