Total waste generation

Overall, from 2010 to 2022, the total waste generated in Norway increased, with the exception of a couple of years, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. This upward trend reflects broader economic growth. The building and construction sector is the largest source of waste in Norway today. The volume of waste from industry has risen slightly since 2012, while the volume of waste from households has been fairly stable throughout this period.

In 2022, Norway was 17.7 percentage points short of the 55% EU target for preparing municipal waste for reuse and recycling. The amounts of municipal waste generated are among the highest in Europe. Furthermore, Norway reported that 59.8% of building and construction waste was prepared for reuse or recycled in 2022. This is approximately 10 percentage points below the 70% target.

Despite recent policy developments to support the circular economy and the national goal of decoupling growth from waste generation, decreasing waste generation and ensuring high reuse and recycling rates remain challenging.