Plastic waste and recycling in the EU: facts and figures

Article 25-06-2024 - 11:47 20181212STO21610 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. Each person living in the EU generated 36.1 kilos of plastic packaging waste on average in 2021. The volume of plastic packaging waste generated per inhabitant increased by about 29% (+8.1 kilos per person) between 2010 and 2021. The total plastic waste produced in the EU in 2021 was 16,13 million tonnes. Some 6,56 million tonnes of plastic waste were recycled. Directorate General for Communication European Parliament - Spokesperson: Jaume Duch Guillot Contact: webmaster@europarl.eu 1 I 6 Infographic showing the tonnes of plastic waste generated and recycled in the EU. The EU is already taking measures to reduce the amount of plastic waste, but what happens to the waste that is generated despite all efforts? And how can plastic recycling rates be increased? Further information Check out EU measures to tackle plastic waste. Plastic waste treatment in Europe In Europe, the most used way to dispose of plastic waste is energy recovery, which means turning plastic waste into usable heat, electricity, or fuel through incineration or other processes. Directorate General for Communication European Parliament - Spokesperson: Jaume Duch Guillot Contact: webmaster@europarl.eu 2 I 6 Recycling is the second most used way of...