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The EU produces 35.3 kg of plastic waste per person each year/ Which country recycles the most?

2025-10-23 17:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The EU produces 35.3 kg of plastic waste per person each year/ Which country

In 2023, the EU generated 79.7 million tonnes of packaging waste in Europe, equivalent to 177.8 kg per inhabitant.

The European Union's best recyclers have been revealed, with several countries breaking waste targets ahead of their 2030 target.

New data from Eurostat shows that the EU generated almost 80 million tonnes of packaging waste in 2023, amounting to 177.8 kg per inhabitant. While this marks a decrease of 8.7 kg compared to 2022, it is an increase of 21.2 kg since 2013.

The report categorizes “packaging waste” as any material used to hold, handle, distribute or present goods. This includes items such as glass bottles, plastic containers, aluminum cans, food wrappers, pallets and wooden barrels.

Of all packaging waste, 40.4 percent came from paper and cardboard. This was followed by plastic (19.8 percent), glass (18.8 percent), wood (15.8 percent), metal (4.9 percent) and “other packaging” (0.2 percent).

The EU's largest recycler

In 2023, seven EU countries met the 2030 target to recycle at least 70 percent of all packaging waste.

Belgium led the way with an impressive rate of 79.7 percent, likely driven by its “pay as you throw” waste collection system, designed to encourage residents to recycle.

The scheme, which has been in place since 1995, bills households based on the amount of mixed or residual waste they produce.

The fee varies by area, with residents in the Flanders region paying around 23 cents per kilogram of household waste.

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), there is a voluntary deposit-return system even for specific reusable packaging, such as glass beverage bottles and industrial containers.

The Netherlands ranked second with a waste recycling rate of 75.8%, followed by Italy (75.6%), the Czech Republic (74.8%), Slovenia (73.6%), Slovakia (71.9%) and Spain (70.5%).

However, Romania lags significantly behind the 2030 targets, recycling only 37.3 percent of packaging waste in 2023.

The European Parliament argues that countries with low GDP have historically produced low recycling rates, as developing efficient waste management and treatment capacities that are “economically and environmentally sustainable” remains “challenging”.

Plastic bags in the EU

The EU Plastic Bag Directive aims to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic bags (also known as LPCBs) to less than 40 per capita by 2025. This has led many supermarkets and retailers to offer reusable bags with thicker "walls".

Again, Belgium came out on top with just four plastic bags per capita in 2023. This was followed by Poland (seven bags per capita) and Portugal (14 bags per capita).

However, some countries still significantly exceed the 2025 targets, with Latvia recording a staggering 209 plastic bags per capita in 2023.

Why is waste reduction important?

According to the EEA, waste can have significant negative effects on human health and the environment.

Burning waste, instead of reusing it, has been linked to increased air pollution, while the growth of landfill sites risks polluting water and soil.

"Overall, the EU is showing slow improvement towards more recycling and less landfilling," the EEA states.

"However, achieving the EU's waste targets requires considerable effort. Non-recyclable products must be phased out and waste must be collected separately so that it can be recycled."

While around 90 percent of the EU's waste is treated domestically, large amounts are still exported - mainly for recycling. This has raised concerns about worsening pollution in poorer countries./ CNA