More and more packaging waste is being generated in the European Union, but the recycling rate has stalled at the lowest rate in several years. According recently released figures from the EU statistics authority Eurostat, arisings of packaging waste made of plastic, paper, wood, glass, metal and other packaging reached a record high of around 84.3 million tonnes in 2021, equivalent to 188.7 kg per capita. Yet EU member states are not making much progress when it comes to material recycling of this waste. The average recycling rate of 64.0 per cent in the years 2020 and 2021 was at a low level last seen in 2010. However, according to Eurostat, there is limited comparability of the data owing to a change in the calculation methods.
Read the full report on packaging waste generation in the EU and the recycling rates achieved by the member states...
