Insee Première · April 2023 · n° 1944

With the health crisis, less waste in industrial and service establishments in 2020

Linked to the economic downturn due to the health crisis, the quantities of non-hazardous waste, excluding minerals and sludge, generated by manufacturing industry and services sharply declined in 2020, compared to their production in 2016. Only commerce generated more waste, concomitant with the increase in its sales volume over the 2016-2020 period.

In 2020, establishments in manufacturing industry with 10 employees or more produced nearly 14 million tonnes of non-hazardous waste, excluding minerals and sludge, and those in the tertiary sector with 20 employees or more generated nearly 16 million tonnes.

Manufacturing industry sorted 81% of its ordinary waste, more than the tertiary sector (76% for services and 68% for commerce). In 2020, all of these sectors of activity generated 35% of avoidable organic waste, whether it is food or not. Most of this avoidable waste were of vegetable origin.