The World Cup of Waste: every nation ranked by rubbish generation

It is known as the beautiful game, but this year’s month-long FIFA World Cup is set to generate tonnes of waste as spectators and fans cheer on their respective teams in the biggest football tournament on the planet.

Only one nation can be the winner of the coveted trophy, and the same can be said for a title a little less in demand – the producer of the most waste.

Using data from World Bank’s What a Waste report, we’ve created a league table ranking all 32 of the qualified nations by their rubbish generation in KG, per person per day.

Switzerland comes out on top of the (rubbish) pile, producing on average 2.61kg of waste per person per day – the equivalent of more than six footballs.

England, representing the United Kingdom, places as the 8th highest waste generating nation.

At the other end of the table, the South American country Uruguay produces the least waste – just 0.11kgs per person per day, which is the equivalent weight of two referees whistles.

The global focus on the World Cup offers an opportunity to think about the impact football fans (ourselves included!) can have on the environment.

Over half of our range now uses packaging made from 100% recycled waste, and we’re aiming to make that our entire range by the end of the year. Now come on England!