gjenvinningsgrad

Gjenvinningsgrad is a metric used in waste management to indicate the share of waste that is recovered or recycled, as opposed to being landfilled or discarded. It is commonly expressed as a percentage and serves as a concise indicator of how effectively a system recovers materials and energy from waste.

Calculation and scope can vary by jurisdiction. In its simplest form, gjenvinningsgrad = (amount recovered) / (total waste generated or processed) × 100. Some definitions count only material recycling and composting, while others include energy recovery from waste-to-energy plants as part of recovery. This means the same term can have different numerical values depending on what is included in “recovered.”

Components often included are material recycling (mechanical and chemical), biological treatment such as composting or anaerobic digestion, energy recovery from incineration with energy capture, and in some cases reuse or repair. The exact boundary conditions—whether pre-consumer waste, construction waste, or imported/exported waste are included, and the time frame used for measurement—significantly influence the result.

Policy relevance is high: gjenvinningsgrad is used by governments, municipalities, and organizations to monitor progress toward waste management and circular economy targets, compare performance across regions, and identify areas for improvement. It has limitations; the metric can be misleading if energy recovery is counted as recovery, or if environmental impact and resource efficiency are not considered. It is typically complemented by other indicators such as material recycling rates, composting rates, and overall waste generation.