Brussels – Plastic packaging: Italy continues to lead the way in recovery and recycling. The country ranks sixth in the EU for the reuse rate of plastic wrappings and containers, according to Eurostat data released today (22 October) and updated to 2024. In the year under review by the European Statistical Office, the EU recycled 42.4 per cent of all plastic packaging waste generated, indicating a slight increase in the recycling rate compared with 2023 (41.6 per cent). With a rate of 50.1 per cent, Italy stands out for its performance, which exceeds the European average, proving itself to be a virtuous example.
Of course, some do even better: Latvia (71 per cent), Belgium (58.2 per cent), Poland (56 per cent), the Czech Republic (53.7 per cent), and Germany (51.3 per cent) rank ahead of Italy in terms of plastic packaging recycling capacity. The good news for the Italian system is that the recycling rate has nevertheless increased compared with 2023, rising from 49 per cent to 50.1 per cent.
However, the picture changes when we consider the volumes of material recovered and reintroduced into the economy: looking at the figures in tonnes, Italy ranks second in the EU, with 1,184,609 tonnes of recycled waste, up from 2023 levels (1,123,200 tonnes). Only Germany (1,618,510 tonnes, up 15,000 tonnes on 2023) has managed to outperform Italy’s collection and recovery system.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
