EU recycled 42.4% of plastic packaging waste in 2024

The EU recycled 42.4% of its plastic packaging waste in 2024, up from 41.6% in 2023, according to Eurostat data released on October 22. Residents generated an average 35.9 kg of plastic packaging waste each, of which 15.3 kg was recycled.

Both plastic packaging waste generated and the amount recycled rose by 0.6 kg per person compared with 2023. The figures refer to 2024 waste management, rather than quantities generated in 2026.

Packaging totals and country differences

Across all packaging materials, the EU generated 81.5 million tonnes of waste, equivalent to 181.0 kg per person. Paper and cardboard represented 40.8% of the total, plastic 19.9% and glass 18.1%.

Latvia recorded the highest plastic-packaging recycling rate at 71.0%, followed by Belgium at 58.2%, Poland at 56.0% and Czechia at 53.7%. The lowest rates were Denmark’s 22.5%, Finland’s 26.9% and France’s 27.4%. These percentages concern plastic packaging, not all plastic waste.

Between 2014 and 2024, plastic packaging waste generated per person grew by 6.1 kg, while the recycled amount increased by 3.4 kg.

© European Union,2026. Source: Eurostat, ‘Plastic packaging waste in the EU: 35.9 kg per person’. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20261022-1

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Adaptation by KROV. KROV is solely responsible for this adaptation; Eurostat is not responsible for it. In case of discrepancies, the original English text prevails.