Municipal waste refers to waste generated in households and waste comparable to household waste generated in production, especially in the service industries. The general common feature of municipal waste is that it is generated in the consumption of final products in communities and is covered by municipal waste management systems. Waste treatment refers to the recovery, neutralisation and final disposal of waste.
In 2017, the total amount of municipal waste was 2,744,655 tonnes. The amount has remained at the same level as in the last few years.
Disposal of municipal waste at landfill sites has decreased strongly according to the prevailing development in recent years. In 2017, only around one per cent of municipal waste was disposed at landfill sites. It has been replaced by recovery of waste: both energy production and material recovery are competing for the recovery of former landfill waste. Recovery of municipal waste as energy has in recent years been the predominant recovery method.