Plastic waste and recycling in the EU: facts and figures
While EU countries have been recycling more plastic waste, they also generate more of it. Find out facts and figures in our infographics.
Plastic waste in Europe: key statistics
Each person living in the EU generated 36.1 kilos of plastic packaging waste on average in 2022. The volume of plastic packaging waste generated per inhabitant increased by almost 8 kilos per person between 2012 and 2022.
The total plastic packaging waste produced in the EU in 2022 was 16.16 million tonnes. Some 6.58 million tonnes, or 40.7% of it, were recycled.
Plastic recycling in Europe
In Europe, the most used way to dispose of plastic waste is recycling (40.7%). Energy recovery, which means turning plastic waste into usable heat, electricity, or fuel through incineration or other processes, is the second most used way of treating plastic waste (35.0%).
The recycling rate of plastic packaging waste has steadily increased over the years, from 25.2% in 2005 to 40.7% in 2022.
About 1.3 million tonnes of plastic waste were exported to be treated in countries outside the EU in 2023. Reasons for export include the lack of capacity, technology or financial resources to treat the waste locally.
Previously, a significant share of the exported plastic waste was shipped to China, but restrictions on imports of plastic waste in China have sharply decreased EU exports to the country. The EU is trying to find circular and climate-friendly ways of managing its plastic waste.
The low share of plastic recycling in the EU means significant losses for the economy as well as for the environment.
Between 19 and 23 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into soils, rivers and oceans every year. This has negative effect on ecosystems and directly impacts people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being.
In 2019, plastics generated 1.8 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – 3.4% of global emissions – with a big part of these emissions coming from their production and conversion from fossil fuels. By 2060, emissions from the plastics lifecycle are expected to triple.
According to the EU environmental agency EEA, in the EU alone the plastics value chain produced 193 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, which is more than the yearly emissions of Belgium (123 million tonnes in 2019). The majority of the emissions comes from the plastic production (63%), while conversion into products accounts for 22% and plastic waste treatment at end-of-life another 15% (mainly due to incineration).
Problems with plastic recycling
The main issues complicating plastic recycling are the quality and price of the recycled product, compared with their unrecycled counterpart. Plastic processors require large quantities of recycled plastic, manufactured to strictly controlled specifications and at a competitive price.
However, since plastics are easily customised to the needs - functional or aesthetic - of each manufacturer, the diversity of the raw material complicates the recycling process, making it costly and affecting the quality of the end product.
The recycling rates of plastic waste in EU countries vary widely: the countries that recycled the most in 2022 were Slovakia (59.6%), Belgium (54.2%) and Germany (51.1%), while the lowest rates were observed in Malta (16.4%), Denmark (23.5%) and France (25.2%).
EU solutions to increase plastic recycling rates
In 2024, the European Parliament approved new rules to reduce, reuse and recycle packaging waste in the EU. The rules require EU countries to reduce total packaging waste per capita compared to 2018 by 5% by 2030; 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040.
There are also specific provisions for reducing plastic packaging waste. Certain single-use plastic packaging types will be banned from 1 January 2030. By 2029, 90% of single-use plastic and metal beverage containers (up to three litres) will have to be collected separately.
In June 2019, the EU adopted new rules to target the issue of plastic marine litter. It includes banning certain single-use plastic items and a 25% target for recycled content in plastic bottles by 2025 and 30% by 2030.
The European Parliament also backed the restriction of light-weight plastic bags in the EU in 2015.
In addition, MEPs have called on the Commission to take action against micro plastics.
In February 2024, Parliament approved stricter requirements for waste shipments outside the EU. The rules prohibit plastic waste exports to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
