Plastic Waste in the EU Rises by 23%

According to data from Eurostat, the EU statistics office, despite efforts to reduce plastic waste, these waste streams in the EU increased by 23% compared to 2010, reaching 34.6 kilograms per capita in 2020. Along with the volume of waste, the recycling rate also increased. The amount of plastic sent for recycling in the EU rose by 32% compared to 2010. The EU country with the highest recorded recycling rate was the Netherlands, where 57% of plastic waste was returned to use. In Slovakia, Lithuania, Spain and Bulgaria, more than 50% of waste was sent for recycling.     Malta was recorded as the country lagging furthest behind in recycling. After Malta, which recycled 10% of its waste, the remaining EU countries were ranked as France, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Romania, Poland and Austria. Plastic packaging accounts for 19.5% of packaging waste, which comprises a significant portion of waste in the EU. Paper and cardboard waste made up 41.2% of packaging waste. Over the past 11 years, the volume of paper waste in the EU was calculated at 32.7 million tonnes. The EU introduced new regulations in recent years to reduce the volume of plastic waste. Most recently last year, the use of single-use plastics such as plates, cutlery, cups and straws was banned.   Source