The bar chart illustrates how waste was disposed of in a European country over a four-year period from 2005 to 2008, using three methods: landfill, incineration, and ocean disposal.
Overall, the categories followed different trends: one declined consistantly, another grew gradually, whereas the third experienced a rise followed by a decline.
In 2005, the amount of waste sent to landfill stood at 1800 tonnes, which was considerably higher than the figures for burning about 500 tonnes and dumping at sea 600 tonnes. Over the following years, the proportion of landfill waste decreased highly, reaching 600 tonnes by 2008.
By contrast, the share of waste incinerated increased steadily from roughly 500 tonnes to around 900 tonnes, showing a clear upward trend. Ocean disposal, on the other hand, rose gradually during the first three years, peaking at approximately 700 tonnes in 2007, before decreasing slightly to 650 tonnes in the final year. Despite these fluctuations, landfill continued to dominate waste management in this country.