Product packaging is a major waste stream with very different outcomes by material, country, and disposal route. In 2023, the European Union generated 177.8 kg of packaging waste per person, while the OECD reported that packaging represented 40% of global plastic waste in 2019. The figures below show where packaging volumes are concentrated, how recycling compares with targets, and why material choices matter.
Contents
- EU packaging waste at a glance
- Packaging materials and country mixes
- Recycling performance and 2030 targets
- Country-level differences
- Lightweight plastic carrier bags
- The U.S. packaging waste stream
- Global plastic packaging context
EU packaging waste at a glance
Eurostat’s Packaging waste statistics reports 177.8 kg of packaging waste per EU inhabitant in 2023, covering all packaging materials. The 2014–2023 series peaked at 190.1 kg per inhabitant in 2021. Per-person generation then fell 4.7% from 2022 to 2023. These are waste-generation figures, so they describe packaging entering the waste stream rather than the amount of packaging placed on shelves in the same year. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
The recycling trend was more modest. Recycled packaging waste amounted to 120.0 kg per inhabitant in 2023, down 1.5% from 2022. The highest recycled amounts in the 2014–2023 series were 121.7 kg per inhabitant in 2021 and 121.8 kg in 2022. Eurostat measures these recycling rates by weight, which makes both material composition and packaging design relevant to the result. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
Fifteen EU countries generated at least 150 kg of packaging waste per inhabitant in 2023. Bulgaria’s observation in this comparison is based on 2022 data, so it should not be read as a 2023 country measurement. The distinction matters when comparing national results across a mixed reporting period. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
Eurostat also reported 83.4 million tonnes of EU packaging waste, equal to 186.5 kg per inhabitant, in 2022. This separate Eurostat news release provides a 2022 total and per-person figure; it should be kept distinct from the 2023 series value of 177.8 kg per inhabitant. (Eurostat, 41% of plastic packaging waste recycled in 2022)
Packaging materials and country mixes
Paper and cardboard were the largest packaging-waste category in 26 of the 27 EU countries in 2023. In 14 countries, they represented more than 40% of packaging waste. That dominance makes fiber packaging a central part of any packaging-waste strategy, even though its recycling performance and collection systems differ from those used for plastics, glass, metals, and wood. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
Plastic’s share varied substantially. In 2023, plastic packaging accounted for 16.0% of packaging waste in Luxembourg and 29.8% in Ireland. A second Eurostat comparison reported a range from 9.2% in Finland to 26.8% in Croatia. These ranges describe different country comparisons within the same 2023 reporting year. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
The country-level material mix also produces notable exceptions. In Bulgaria, plastic packaging represented 28.4% of packaging waste, compared with 25.5% for paper and cardboard; those Bulgarian figures are for 2022. Romania’s paper-and-cardboard share was 29.4%, also based on 2022 data. Finland’s second-largest category was wood, at 27.8% in 2023. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
Metal packaging remained below 10% in every EU country in 2023. Its share ranged from 3.4% in Luxembourg to 9.2% in Greece. That narrower range is useful context when interpreting total waste figures: a country with high packaging waste is not necessarily high in every material category. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
Recycling performance and 2030 targets
The EU packaging-waste recycling rate was 67.5% in 2023, measured by weight. The 2030 overall target is at least 70%, so the reported EU rate was below that target at the 2023 measurement point. Seven countries met the 70% overall target in 2023: Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Czechia, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Spain. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
The material-specific targets show why an overall rate does not tell the whole story:
| Packaging material | EU 2030 recycling target by weight |
|---|---|
| Paper and cardboard | 85% |
| Ferrous metal | 80% |
| Glass | 75% |
| Plastic | 55% |
| Aluminium | 60% |
| Wood | 30% |
The overall 2030 target is at least 70% by weight. The material targets range from 30% for wood to 85% for paper and cardboard, reflecting different recovery systems and material properties. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
Plastic packaging was a particular gap in 2023. Belgium and Latvia were the only EU countries to meet the 55% plastic-packaging recycling target, with rates of 59.5% and 59.2%, respectively. The reported EU rate of 67.5% is an all-material figure and therefore should not be used as a proxy for plastic packaging performance. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
Country-level differences
EU per-person figures varied widely in 2023. Ireland generated the most packaging waste at 223.1 kg per inhabitant, followed by Italy at 219.5 kg, Germany at 215.2 kg, and Luxembourg at 204.5 kg. At the lower end of the supplied 2023 observations, Croatia generated 81.4 kg per inhabitant. Cyprus recorded 98.6 kg per inhabitant, but that Cyprus figure is for 2022. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
Recycling volumes also differed. Italy recycled the most packaging waste among EU countries in 2023, at 162.2 kg per inhabitant. Croatia recycled 42.3 kg per inhabitant, although the Croatian observation is for 2022. These are quantities per inhabitant, not recycling rates, so they should not be interpreted as a direct ranking of collection efficiency without the corresponding waste-generation denominator. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
The following comparison keeps the measurement years visible:
| Country | Packaging waste per inhabitant | Recycled packaging waste per inhabitant | Measurement year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 223.1 kg | Not supplied | 2023 |
| Italy | 219.5 kg | 162.2 kg | 2023 |
| Germany | 215.2 kg | Not supplied | 2023 |
| Luxembourg | 204.5 kg | Not supplied | 2023 |
| Croatia | 81.4 kg | 42.3 kg | 2023 generation; 2022 recycling |
| Cyprus | 98.6 kg | Not supplied | 2022 |
Lightweight plastic carrier bags
EU consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags was 65 bags per inhabitant in 2023, compared with 67 in 2022 and 95 in 2018. The EU target is fewer than 40 lightweight plastic carrier bags per inhabitant by 2025 at the latest. The 2023 value therefore remained above the stated target threshold. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
National results ranged from 4 bags per inhabitant in Belgium to 209 in Latvia in 2023. Poland recorded 7 bags per inhabitant, while Portugal and Austria each recorded 14. Sweden achieved the largest reduction from 2018 to 2023, decreasing consumption by 131 bags per inhabitant. These figures cover lightweight carrier bags, not all plastic packaging. (Eurostat, Packaging waste statistics)
The U.S. packaging waste stream
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures 2018 estimated 82.22 million short tons of containers and packaging generated in U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018. Of that stream, 44.33 million short tons were recycled, 7.42 million short tons were combusted with energy recovery, and 30.47 million short tons were landfilled. The EPA figures are estimates in short tons and describe generation before recycling, composting, energy recovery, or landfilling. (EPA, Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures 2018)
Paper and paperboard packaging made up the largest listed material stream at 41.90 million short tons in 2018. Plastic packaging generated 14.53 million short tons, wood generated 11.53 million short tons, and glass generated 9.79 million short tons. Corrugated boxes accounted for 33.26 million short tons. (EPA, Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures 2018)
Corrugated boxes had a notably different outcome from the broader packaging stream: 32.09 million short tons were recycled, corresponding to a 96.5% recycling rate for that product category in 2018. That category result should not be generalized to every U.S. packaging material or to the full packaging waste stream. (EPA, Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures 2018)
Global plastic packaging context
The OECD’s Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Highlights modeled global annual plastic waste at 156 million metric tonnes in 2000 and 353 million metric tonnes in 2019. In the OECD’s 2019 application-lifespan breakdown, packaging accounted for 40% of global plastic waste. This is an application category within all plastic waste, not a packaging-only total. (OECD, Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Highlights)
Of the 353 million metric tonnes of global plastic waste in 2019, 55 million metric tonnes were collected for recycling. Recycling residues accounted for 22 million metric tonnes of the collected material, and the OECD reported that ultimately 9% of global plastic waste was recycled after accounting for those residues. These are modeled global estimates rather than a direct packaging-recycling measurement. (OECD, Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Highlights)
The remaining destinations underline the scale of the challenge: 19% of global plastic waste was incinerated in 2019, while almost 50% went to sanitary landfills. Together with the 9% ultimately recycled estimate, these figures describe all global plastic waste and should not be treated as packaging-only disposal shares. (OECD, Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Highlights)