Packaging: per capita waste in the European Union is on the rise (+3.2 kilograms)

The volume of packaging waste is rising, as is the amount that is recycled. In 2024, 81.5 million tonnes of packaging waste were generated in the countries of the European Union. This figure equates to 181 kilograms per inhabitant. Paper and cardboard continue to dominate, accounting for 40.8 per cent of the total, followed by plastic, which accounts for just under half. Next came glass at 18.1 per cent, wood at 16.2 per cent, metal at 4.8 per cent and other materials at 0.2 per cent. This is highlighted in the Eurostat report, which points out that per capita packaging waste has increased by 3.2 kilograms compared with 2023 and by 19.6 kilograms compared with 2014.

The figures show that, in 2024, each person generated an average of 35.9 kilograms of plastic packaging waste. Of this, 15.3 kilograms were recycled. Both the amount of plastic packaging waste generated and the amount recycled increased by 0.6 kilograms compared with 2023.

Between 2014 and 2024, the total amount of plastic packaging waste generated increased by 6.1 kilograms per capita, whilst the amount of waste recycled rose by 3.4 kilograms. This therefore indicates an increase in recycling capacity that is not yet sufficient to fully absorb the total amount of waste produced.

In 2024, the EU recycled 42.4 per cent of all plastic packaging waste generated, representing a slight increase in the recycling rate compared with 2023 (41.6 per cent).

In this context, Italia ranks sixth, with a recycling rate of 50.1 per cent for plastic packaging waste, exceeding the European average of 42.4 per cent. The 50 per cent target set for 2025 has already been achieved, and attention is now turning to the future. At the top of the rankings is Latvia with a recycling rate of 71 per cent, followed by Belgium with 58.2 per cent, Poland with 56 per cent, the Czech Republic with 53.7 per cent and Germany with 51.3 per cent.