The European Union generated an average of 35.9 kilograms of plastic packaging waste per person in 2024, with less than half of the discarded material being recycled, according to the latest figures published by Eurostat. Although recycling performance improved slightly over the previous year, the overall volume of plastic packaging waste continues to rise.
Across the EU, a total of 81.5 million tonnes of packaging waste was produced in 2024, equivalent to 181 kilograms per resident. This represented an increase of 3.2kg per person compared with 2023 and a rise of 19.6kg over the past decade.
Paper and cardboard accounted for the largest share of the waste, representing 40.8% of the total. Plastic made up 19.9%, followed by glass at 18.1%, wood at 16.2%, metal at 4.8% and other materials at 0.2%.
Plastic waste continues to increase
The EU generated an average of 35.9kg of plastic packaging waste per inhabitant in 2024, of which 15.3kg was recycled. Both figures increased by 0.6kg compared with the previous year.
The longer-term trend highlights the challenge facing European waste management and environmental policies. Between 2014 and 2024, the amount of plastic packaging waste generated per person increased by 6.1kg, while the quantity recycled rose by 3.4kg.
These figures indicate that, despite improvements in recycling, the growth in plastic packaging waste remains a significant concern.
EU recycling performance varies widely
The proportion of plastic packaging waste recycled across the EU reached 42.4% in 2024, up from 41.6% in 2023. However, the figures reveal considerable differences between member states.
Latvia recorded the highest recycling rate, with 71.0% of plastic packaging waste recycled. Belgium ranked second at 58.2%, followed by Poland at 56.0% and Czechia at 53.7%.
At the other end of the scale, Denmark reported the lowest rate, at 22.5%. Finland followed with 26.9%, while France recycled 27.4% of its plastic packaging waste.
The gap between the strongest and weakest performers underscores the uneven progress being made across Europe in managing plastic waste and improving recycling systems.
Eurostat's latest statistics provide an overview of packaging waste generation and recycling throughout the EU, offering insight into the environmental pressures associated with packaging consumption and the progress made towards more sustainable waste management. Photo by © 2008 by Tomasz Sienicki , Wikimedia commons.
