Insee Première · January 2025 · n° 2034

Waste in industrial and tertiary establishments in 2022 79% of sorted waste was directly recovered

In 2022, establishments with 10 employees or more in manufacturing industry generated almost 15 million tonnes of non-hazardous waste, excluding minerals and sludge, while establishments with 20 employees or more in the tertiary sector produced more than 11 million tonnes. Ordinary waste accounted for the bulk of this waste (77% to 86% depending on the sector). The remainder was mainly made up of organic waste and green waste.

The vast majority of this waste was sorted waste (composed of a single material), more so in the manufacturing industry than in the tertiary sector (91% compared with 73%). In the tertiary sector, it was mainly packaging.

In 2022, 79% of sorted waste was recovered, 19% was sent to a sorting centre, and the rest was incinerated without energy recovery or landfilled. Waste made up of several materials, known as mixed waste, was recovered half as often (37%). In the tertiary sector, half of all organic waste could be avoided.

Almost all establishments with 500 employees or more claimed to have a waste management policy (93%). The most important aspect of this policy was the provision of waste sorting equipment (95%).