The indicator is calculated as recycled waste (RCV_R) divided by total waste treated excluding major mineral wastes (TRT), multiplied by 100. It is expressed in percent (%) as both terms are measured in the same unit, namely tonnes. Recycled waste is waste treated, which was sent to recovery operation other than energy recovery and backfilling (for simplification referred to as recycling). Waste data are adjusted for waste collected in one country and recycled in another country. The amount of recycled waste is adjusted as following: waste treated in domestic plants plus waste sent out of the country for recycling minus waste imported and treated in domestic recycling plants. Waste treated is based in Waste Statistics Regulation and the imports and exports of wastes are based on Foreign Trade Statistics and reported according to the
Combined Nomenclature (CN-codes). The indicator covers both hazardous (hz) and non-hazardous (nh) waste from all economic sectors and from households, including waste from waste treatment (secondary waste) but excluding most mineral waste. Major mineral waste is excluded in order to avoid situations where trends in ordinary waste generation can be drowned out by massive fluctuations in the generation of wastes in the mineral extraction and transformation sector. This also permits more meaningful comparison across countries, as mineral waste accounts for very substantial quantities in countries characterized by major mining and construction sectors.