Eurostat data show EU plastic packaging recycling rose only slowly, from 38% in 2012 to 41% in 2022, despite the strictest rules in the world.
- Authors / organisation
- Eurostat
- Year
- 2024
- Journal or publisher
- Eurostat
- Study type
- Institutional report
- Evidence strength
- Evidence: High
- Sample / scope
- EU member-state packaging waste statistics, 2012–2022
- Key finding
- The EU recycled 41% of plastic packaging waste in 2022, up from 38% in 2012; it generated 36.1 kg of plastic packaging waste per person in 2022 and recycled 14.7 kg of it.
- Headline number
- 41% of EU plastic packaging recycled in 2022
- Caveats / how it is misquoted
- EU changed its calculation method in 2020, so long time series are not fully comparable.
- Open access
- Yes
- Verified on
- 22 September 2026
Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, compiles national reports on packaging waste generated and recycled under EU packaging rules.
In 2022 the EU recycled 41% of its plastic packaging waste, up from 38% a decade earlier. Slovakia (60%) and Belgium (54%) performed best. The EU generated 36.1 kg of plastic packaging waste per person in 2022, and recycled 14.7 kg of it.
This matters as a reality check: even the region with the most developed collection systems and binding targets recycles well under half of its plastic packaging, and progress is slow.
Recycling rates depend on how 'recycled' is measured; the EU tightened its calculation method in 2020, so rates before and after are not fully comparable.
