35 kilograms of plastic waste per person each year. Europe is recycling more, Poland is falling behind

According to the latest Eurostat report, the average EU citizen throws away 35.3 kg of plastic packaging every year – that’s the equivalent of over a thousand 1.5-liter PET bottles! The level of plastic recycling is increasing across member states, although unfortunately, Poland is not among the leaders.

Everything wrapped up

Almost every product today comes in packaging that sooner or later ends up in the bin. The Eurostat study shows that in 2023, nearly 80 million tonnes of packaging were generated across the EU – that’s 178 kg per person, or 8.7 kg less than the year before.

Plastic packaging accounted for 20 percent of the total waste mass, paper and cardboard for 40 percent, and glass for 19 percent. Nearly 16 percent of packaging was made of wood. The lowest share of plastic packaging was recorded in Luxembourg (16 percent) and the highest in Ireland (almost 30 percent). In Poland, 34.4 percent of packaging is made from paper and cardboard, 21 percent from glass, and 20 percent each from plastic and wood.

It is worth noting that since 2021, the total amount of packaging generated in the EU has been steadily decreasing and is now back at the 2019 level. In 2014, each of us threw away 17 kg fewer packaging waste than today.

Will the target be met?

The packaging issue must, of course, be viewed through the lens of recycling. Although recycling consumes energy, it ultimately helps save resources and reduce the carbon footprint of products. Unfortunately, when considering all packaging generated in the EU, the overall recycling rate fell by 1.5 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Poles generate a relatively high amount of packaging waste (172.7 kg per person, slightly below the EU average), with 67 percent being recycled. Ireland and Italy top the undesirable ranking with 223 and 219 kg of packaging per capita, respectively, while residents of Croatia and Bulgaria throw away only around 81 kg of plastic bottles and containers per year.

The lowest packaging recycling rates are observed in Romania and Hungary (37 and 43 percent, respectively), while Belgium leads the EU with 80 percent. Across the Union, the average stands at 67 percent — 3 percent short of the 2030 target.

Plastic packaging weighs on Europe’s conscience

According to the so-called Packaging Directive, EU member states must recycle 55 percent of plastic packaging by 2030 – a goal driven by growing concerns about microplastic pollution. By 2023, only two countries had achieved this target: Belgium and Latvia, while Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovenia were close to meeting it.

In Poland, 46 percent of plastic packaging was recycled in 2023 – still far from satisfactory. Compared with other EU members, Poland performs better than 19 countries, while Hungary, France, and Austria record the lowest rates (22–27 percent). Paradoxically, even in Sweden and Finland, the recycling rate for plastic packaging has not exceeded 30 percent.

Eurostat paid particular attention to plastic bags, which we eagerly use for fruits, vegetables, and bread. A target set a decade ago limits usage to a maximum of 40 bags per person annually, but in 2023 the figure stood at 65 – just two fewer than the previous year. In this regard, Belgians set an example for all of Europe, with each person using an average of only four such bags a year!