Most of Liechtenstein's waste is soil dug out of building sites, and for 2026 it comes to an estimated 445,000 tonnes, or roughly 980 million pounds.
How much waste does Liechtenstein produce in a year it has actually counted? The newest official figure is from 2022, when Eurostat measured 437,890 tonnes. Of that, 401,938 tonnes, or 91.8%, was soil from construction work.
Each person in Liechtenstein put out 837 kg of household waste in 2024. The country as a whole generated about 11 tonnes per person in 2022, because the soil from building work counts in the national total and never goes near a bin.
Liechtenstein's waste totals (2014-2026)
Eurostat's waste generation collection counts Liechtenstein's waste every two years, alongside the EU countries. The table runs from 2014 to our estimates for 2024 and 2026.
| Year | Tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 444,648 | +45,507 (+11.4%) |
| 2024 | 399,141 | -38,749 (-8.8%) |
| 2022 | 437,890 | -104,801 (-19.3%) |
| 2020 | 542,691 | +104,868 (+24.0%) |
| 2018 | 437,823 | -64,758 (-12.9%) |
| 2016 | 502,581 | -66,486 (-11.7%) |
| 2014 | 569,067 | baseline |
Note: Eurostat's waste generation collection (env_wasgen), all economic activities plus households. Odd years are not measured. The 2024 and 2026 rows are our estimates. Eurostat also lists 383,337 tonnes for 2008, 312,180 for 2010 and 466,547 for 2012.
Why Liechtenstein's total swings so much
The swings follow building work. Construction soil was 516,704 tonnes in 2014, 387,787 tonnes in 2018 and 501,850 tonnes in 2020, then 401,938 tonnes in 2022.
Everything else moved far less. It fell from 52,363 tonnes in 2014 to 35,952 tonnes in 2022.
The table starts in 2014 because before then Eurostat booked most of the soil under other sectors. Construction carried just 31 tonnes in 2010.
Where the 2026 estimate for Liechtenstein comes from
Liechtenstein also counts its waste every year. Liechtenstein's Office of Statistics (Amt für Statistik) publishes a yearly waste report, and its count of mineral building waste, soil included, was 501,742 tonnes in 2020. That is within 108 tonnes of Eurostat's construction figure for the same year.
So we split Liechtenstein's waste into two parts and moved each one on its own.
- Soil and other mineral building waste: 378,549 tonnes in 2023 and 362,026 tonnes in 2024, from the national reports. For 2026 we use the average of the years measured from 2018 to 2024, 406,408 tonnes, because this part rises and falls with building work and shows no steady trend.
- Everything else: 35,952 tonnes in 2022. For 2024 it moves with the national count of household waste, up 3.2%. For 2026 it grows with the population, up 3.0% from the start of 2024 to the start of 2026.
That gives 399,141 tonnes for 2024 and 444,648 tonnes for 2026, 1.5% above 2022. Per person it comes to about 10,785 kg for everyone living in Liechtenstein at the start of 2026.
The margin on Liechtenstein's estimate
We tested the method on 2020 to 2022, the one stretch where both ends are counted. Moving everything except soil with household waste came out 7.5% too high.
- 2024, 396,000 to 402,000 tonnes: the soil is measured, so only the smaller part carries that 7.5% margin.
- 2026, 397,000 to 558,000 tonnes: soil at the lowest (362,026 tonnes, in 2024) or the highest (516,704 tonnes, in 2014) of the years counted since 2014.
How waste works in Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein is not in the EU. Liechtenstein belongs to the European Economic Area (EEA), which takes in EU laws only once they are added to the EEA Agreement, and shares a customs union with Switzerland, so some of the waste rules there are Swiss.
- Packaging: there is no producer register, no scheme and no fee. Companies send yearly packaging data to the Amt für Umweltschutz, Liechtenstein's environmental protection office, which also checks the recycling targets.
- Electronics: Swiss rules apply. Makers and importers take old devices back for free, and in practice join Swico or SENS eRecycling.
- Batteries: also Swiss rules. Makers and importers report to INOBAT and pay a fee per kilogram.
- Vehicles: the keeper pays a CHF 20 disposal fee at first registration, set out on the Liechtenstein end-of-life vehicle fee page.
Per person, Liechtenstein generated 11,088 kg of waste in 2022, more than twice the EU average of 4,981 kg. Only five EU countries generated more: Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Luxembourg and Bulgaria.
Leave out the major mineral waste and the picture flips. Liechtenstein generated 889 kg per person, against 1,771 kg for the EU, lower than every EU country. Countries do not count waste in exactly the same way, so read those gaps as rough.
Why nine tenths of Liechtenstein's waste is soil
Almost all of Liechtenstein's 2022 total came from one sector. This is how Eurostat recorded it by source.
| Source | Tonnes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 401,938 | 91.8% |
| Households | 31,858 | 7.3% |
| Manufacturing | 2,458 | 0.6% |
| Water and waste services | 1,231 | 0.3% |
| Shops and services | 404 | 0.1% |
| Farming | 1 | 0.0% |
Note: Eurostat's waste generation collection, 2022 reference year. Mining and energy recorded no waste. The six lines add to 437,890 tonnes.
Construction made up 91.8% of Liechtenstein's total, against 38.7% across the EU. Eurostat records the same 401,938 tonnes as soil.
That is earth dug out on building sites, not construction and demolition waste in the narrower sense. Broken concrete, bricks and tiles came to just 691 tonnes.
Households were the second source at 7.3%. Manufacturing generated only 2,458 tonnes.
What Liechtenstein's households throw out
Liechtenstein's national waste report counts 837 kg of municipal waste per person in 2024, or 33,473 tonnes in all, up 2.6% on 2023. Eurostat has no municipal figure for Liechtenstein.
That is well above the EU average of 513 kg, but the national count includes 9,056 tonnes of scrap iron and 8,274 tonnes of compostable waste, so part of the gap is a counting difference. Of the total, 65.7% was collected separately for recycling or composting rather than burned.
How much packaging waste Liechtenstein generates
Under extended producer responsibility, most of Europe makes the companies that sell packaged goods pay for that packaging once it becomes waste. Liechtenstein has no packaging fee, and companies there only report their packaging data.
Liechtenstein generated 7,256 tonnes of packaging waste in 2023, or 182.1 kg per person. That is a little above the EU average of 177.8 kg.
The 2023 total splits like this by material, with the share of each that was recycled.
| Material | Tonnes | Recycled |
|---|---|---|
| Paper and cardboard | 3,340 | 85.0% |
| Glass | 2,034 | 76.7% |
| Plastic | 1,023 | 39.7% |
| Other materials | 402 | 0% |
| Metal | 378 | 100% |
| Wood | 80 | 0% |
Note: Eurostat's packaging waste collection, 2023 reference year, with recycling shares on the basis set for the 2025 targets. The six lines add to 7,257 tonnes because of rounding; Eurostat's total is 7,256.
Overall Liechtenstein recycled 71.4% of its packaging in 2023, above the EU's 67.4%. The rate has held between 68.0% and 72.2% since 2018.
What a company selling into Liechtenstein has to sort out first is in Repax's guide to EPR in Liechtenstein, with the packaging rules in detail on packaging EPR in Liechtenstein.
Targets and where Liechtenstein stands
Liechtenstein sets its packaging targets in its own packaging ordinance (VVA). They match the levels the EU set for the end of 2025 and the end of 2030.
The table sets Liechtenstein's 2023 packaging rates against both sets of targets.
| Packaging | Target 2025 / 2030 | Liechtenstein |
|---|---|---|
| All packaging | 65% / 70% | 71.4% |
| Paper and cardboard | 75% / 85% | 85.0% |
| Glass | 70% / 75% | 76.7% |
| Ferrous metals | 70% / 80% | 100% |
| Aluminium | 50% / 60% | 100% |
| Plastic | 50% / 55% | 39.7% |
| Wood | 25% / 30% | 0% |
Note: VVA, Article 8, version of 1 August 2026. Liechtenstein's rates are Eurostat's, 2023 reference year.
On the 2023 figures Liechtenstein already met five of the seven targets for 2025, and the same five for 2030. Two were short.
- Plastic: 10.3 percentage points short of 50%.
- Wood: none of the 80 tonnes was recycled, against a target of 25%.
Why the EFTA watchdog wrote to Liechtenstein about wood
The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA), which checks that Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway follow EEA law, sent Liechtenstein a letter of formal notice on 11 March 2026.
Liechtenstein had to recycle at least 15% of its wood packaging by 2008, and the reporting for 2023 shows none. ESA said it is also examining whether Liechtenstein's waste reporting meets EEA rules.
Frequently asked questions about Liechtenstein's waste
Below are the seven questions readers ask most about Liechtenstein's waste figures.
How much waste does Liechtenstein produce each year?
Liechtenstein is estimated to produce about 445,000 tonnes of waste in 2026, up from the 437,890 tonnes Eurostat measured in 2022, which is the most recent year with official figures. In 2022, 91.8% of the total was soil from construction.
Can Liechtenstein's waste be compared with other countries?
Only with care. Eurostat says differences between countries reflect consumption patterns and economic wealth, but also depend on how municipal waste is collected and managed, so part of any gap between Liechtenstein and another country is a difference in counting.
Why does Liechtenstein produce so much waste per person?
Because the soil dug out for building work is counted as waste. With it, Liechtenstein generated 11,088 kg per person in 2022. Without the major mineral waste it was 889 kg, lower than every EU country.
How much packaging waste does Liechtenstein generate?
Liechtenstein generated 7,256 tonnes of packaging waste in 2023, or 182.1 kg per person, a little above the EU average of 177.8 kg. It recycled 71.4% of it, above both the EU's 67.4% and its own 65% target for 2025.
Does Liechtenstein meet its packaging recycling targets?
Mostly. In 2023 it met five of its seven targets for 2025, including the overall 65%. Plastic was at 39.7% against 50%, and no wood packaging was recycled, which led the EFTA Surveillance Authority to send a formal notice in March 2026.
Who is responsible for packaging waste in Liechtenstein?
There is no packaging scheme or fee. Companies send yearly packaging data to the Amt für Umweltschutz, the environmental protection office, which checks the recycling targets. Electronics and batteries follow Swiss rules through the customs union.
Does the EU packaging regulation apply in Liechtenstein?
Not yet. Liechtenstein is in the European Economic Area but not the EU, and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation has not been added to the EEA Agreement. Its own ordinance already sets the same recycling targets for 2025 and 2030.
Images: Walser123
