NINE EU MEMBER STATES RECYCLED 41% OF PLASTIC PACKAGING WASTE IN 2019

Wed 27 October 2021:

According to the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), each European Union (EU) resident produced an average of 76 lbs of plastic packaging waste in 2019, with 31 lbs being recycled.

In 2019, the EU recycled 41% of plastic packaging waste. Nine EU Member States reprocessed more than half of the produced plastic packaging waste: Lithuania (70%), Czechia (61%), Bulgaria (59%, 2018 data), the Netherlands (57%), Sweden and Slovakia (both 53%), Spain (52%), Cyprus (51%) and Slovenia (50%), Eurostat said in a report.

In comparison, less than one-third of plastic packaging waste was recycled in Malta (11%, 2018 data), France (27%), Ireland (28%), Austria (31%), Poland (32%) and Hungary (33%), the agency’s figures show.

During the decade between 2009 and 2019, the amount of produced plastic packaging waste for each EU-resident increased by 24% (+15 lbs). The recycling amount of plastic packaging waste sharply increased over the same period, by 50% (+10 lbs). Despite the enhancement, the amount of unrecycled plastic packaging increased by 4.5 lbs for each EU-resident since 2009 due to the greater increase in the absolute cost of produced plastic packaging waste.

Over the 10-year period paper and cardboard was the main packaging waste material generated, contributing with 32.2 million tonnes to the total packaging waste generated in 2019; since 2009 this waste stream grew by 23.2 %. Plastic packaging material reached a total of 15.4 million tonnes as the second most significant material (+25.8 % compared to 2009). Glass had a volume of 15.2 million tonnes (+13.7 %), wood packaging 12.4 million tonnes (+19.3 %) and metal packaging 4.0 million tonnes in 2019 (+6.2 %).

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