Packaging waste in the EU reached 173.5 kilograms per person in a single year. Only one in five plastic bottles is recycled. European policy now requires a 60% packaging recycling rate and aims to landfill just 10% of municipal waste by 2035.
Key Takeaways
- 50% reduction in overall waste generated by the food supply chain by 2030 as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aligned EU objectives
- 55% of EU consumers report concern about plastic waste as reported in Eurobarometer on attitudes towards the environment (survey year 2019)
- 17% decrease in marine litter from 2013 to 2018 in the OSpar area (North-East Atlantic) for plastics (trend reported in OSPAR assessment)
- In 2022, packaging waste generation in the EU-27 was 173.5 kg per person (Eurostat/EEA packaging waste indicators)
- In the US, 49.2% of MSW in 2018 was paper and paperboard and plastics combined (EPA)
- In the US, corrugated cardboard is the most common paper packaging material in MSW at 33% of total paper and paperboard by weight (EPA 2018 breakdown table)
- In 2020, EU packaging waste landfilled was 14% (Eurostat packaging waste treatment)
- Only 1 in 5 plastic bottles is recycled in Europe (European Commission/Plastics Strategy impact assessment citing data)
- In 2022, 23.7% of municipal waste in the EU was landfilled (Eurostat municipal waste)
- US packaging waste generated an estimated 76.1 million tonnes in 2018
- The share of plastic packaging in all plastic applications increased from 24% in 2000 to 40% in 2021 (global)
- In 2022, packaging accounts for about 40% of all plastic used globally
- The global paper and board packaging market was valued at $280.1 billion in 2023
- 1,303 million tonnes of food were lost or wasted in 2022, and packaging is a major contributor to food-loss-related material flows (food losses/waste supply-chain burden that packaging must manage).
- In 2022, the European container glass reuse rate was 65% in terms of turnaround/reuse cycles for suitable refillable bottles (reuse performance metric in the container-glass sector).
EU aims to cut packaging waste, boost recycling, and address plastic concerns with ambitious 2030 targets.
Related reading
01 · Category
Regulatory & Policy17 stats
01
50% reduction in overall waste generated by the food supply chain by 2030 as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aligned EU objectiveshttps://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
02
55% of EU consumers report concern about plastic waste as reported in Eurobarometer on attitudes towards the environment (survey year 2019)https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2256
03
17% decrease in marine litter from 2013 to 2018 in the OSpar area (North-East Atlantic) for plastics (trend reported in OSPAR assessment)https://www.ospar.org/documents?v=50895
04
60% packaging waste recycling target for EU member states by 2030 (targets under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive as revised)https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/packaging-waste_en
05
EU requires member states to achieve at least 50% preparation for reuse and recycling of waste by 2020 under original targets (Waste Framework Directive)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098
06
EU requires all packaging placed on the market to meet essential requirements under Directive 94/62/EChttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31994L0062
07
Directive (EU) 2019/904 (Single-Use Plastics) sets reduction measures for certain single-use plastic products including packaging componentshttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019L0904
08
EPR systems cover 37% of municipal packaging waste in Europe according to OECD 2022 estimates (market coverage of packaging EPR)https://www.oecd.org/environment/waste/oecd-extended-producer-responsibility-systems-for-packaging-waste.htm
09
EU landfill diversion target for municipal waste: 10% by 2035 under the revised Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018L0851
10
France’s REP/extended producer responsibility for packaging waste is organized via the legal framework Code de l’environnement introduced amendments in 2010 (packaging take-back obligations)https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/section_lc/LEGITEXT000006074220/LEGISCTA000006114780/
11
UK Packaging Waste Regulations set targets for packaging recycling rates including 65% by 2030 for total packaging waste recycling (as per UK Packaging Waste targets framework)https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/231/contents/made
12
California’s SB 54 (2016) requires a packaging producer reporting and recycling plan framework with increasing recycling targets (implementation timeline)https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB54
13
EU Packaging Waste Directive sets minimum recycling rates by material: e.g., 70% for paper/cardboard packaging by 2030https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018L0852
14
EU Plastics Strategy includes a goal of making all plastic packaging recyclable by 2030 (policy target)https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/plastics-strategy_en
15
EU circular economy action plan calls for reduction of packaging waste and higher recycling by 2030 (circular economy policy)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0102
16
Japan’s Container Packaging Recycling Law (1995) established producer responsibility for packaging and set annual recycling targetshttps://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3181/en
17
China’s “14th Five-Year Plan” for circular economy (2021-2025) includes goals to increase recycling rates of solid waste including packaging materialshttps://english.www.gov.cn/policies/policy-releases/2021/06/03/content_WS60bb1de2c6d0a28339ff0ce2.html
Interpretation
Regulatory & Policy Interpretation
From 60% recycling targets by 2030 and requirements like 50% reuse and recycling by 2020, EU regulatory and policy action is set to cut packaging waste fast, reflecting the broader push to reduce overall food supply chain waste by 50% by 2030.
02 · Category
Waste Composition & Volumes5 stats
01
In 2022, packaging waste generation in the EU-27 was 173.5 kg per person (Eurostat/EEA packaging waste indicators)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Packaging_waste_statistics
02
In the US, 49.2% of MSW in 2018 was paper and paperboard and plastics combined (EPA)https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/documents/2018-msw-facts.pdf
03
In the US, corrugated cardboard is the most common paper packaging material in MSW at 33% of total paper and paperboard by weight (EPA 2018 breakdown table)https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/documents/2018-msw-tables.pdf
04
France generated 5.9 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste in 2018 (ADEME/Emballages plastic statistics summary)https://www.ademe.fr/en/publications
05
In 2020, EU packaging waste generation by material showed paper/cardboard as the largest component (European Commission staff working document)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2020:0202:FIN
Interpretation
Waste Composition & Volumes Interpretation
In the Waste Composition & Volumes picture, packaging waste is heavily paper based across regions, with the EU-27 reaching 173.5 kg per person in 2022 and the US having 49.2% of MSW made up of paper and paperboard plus plastics, including corrugated cardboard at 33% of total paper packaging weight.
03 · Category
Recycling & Recovery9 stats
01
In 2020, EU packaging waste landfilled was 14% (Eurostat packaging waste treatment)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_was_pack/default/table?lang=en
02
Only 1 in 5 plastic bottles is recycled in Europe (European Commission/Plastics Strategy impact assessment citing data)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2018:0202:FIN
03
In 2022, 23.7% of municipal waste in the EU was landfilled (Eurostat municipal waste)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Municipal_waste_statistics
04
More than 80% of all plastic waste never becomes recycled material in a mechanical recycling loop (OECD Global Plastics Outlook quantified)https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/oecd-global-plastics-outlook-studies-and-datasets.htm
05
In 2019, US packaging recycling rate (materials-recovered) for paper was 68.2% (US EPA)https://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-facts-and-figures
06
Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that 70% of packaging material value is lost after first use (packaging circularity value loss)https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics
07
In 2018, US plastic bottles recovered rate was 29% (US EPA/estimates cited)https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data
08
In 2022, Japan recycled 77% of PET bottles (Japan Ministry/industry data compiled by World Packaging Organization)https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/5058
09
In 2022, Korea recycled 58% of PET bottles (Korea statistics office summary)https://kosis.kr/eng/
Interpretation
Recycling & Recovery Interpretation
Even within the Recycling and Recovery framing, recycling still captures only a slice of packaging value, since just 1 in 5 plastic bottles are recycled in Europe and 14% of EU packaging waste is landfilled in 2020.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy & Compliance1 stats
01
US packaging waste generated an estimated 76.1 million tonnes in 2018https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials
Interpretation
Policy & Compliance Interpretation
In the Policy & Compliance lens, the fact that US packaging waste reached an estimated 76.1 million tonnes in 2018 underscores the scale of regulatory and enforcement needs to manage packaging impacts.
05 · Category
Market Drivers5 stats
01
The share of plastic packaging in all plastic applications increased from 24% in 2000 to 40% in 2021 (global)https://www.plasticseurope.org/en/resources/publications?file=2021-plastics-the-facts
02
In 2022, packaging accounts for about 40% of all plastic used globallyhttps://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/brief/plastics-and-cities
03
The global paper and board packaging market was valued at $280.1 billion in 2023https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/paper-and-packaging-market-103110
04
The global flexible packaging market reached $451.2 billion in 2023https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/flexible-packaging-market-106582
05
The global rigid plastic packaging market is projected to grow to $186.6 billion by 2030https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/rigid-plastic-packaging-market-109676
Interpretation
Market Drivers Interpretation
Market drivers are being powered by packaging demand for plastic and multiple material formats, with plastic’s share of all plastic applications rising from 24% in 2000 to 40% in 2021 and packaging using about 40% of all plastic globally in 2022.
06 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
1,303 million tonnes of food were lost or wasted in 2022, and packaging is a major contributor to food-loss-related material flows (food losses/waste supply-chain burden that packaging must manage).https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb9192en
02
In 2022, the European container glass reuse rate was 65% in terms of turnaround/reuse cycles for suitable refillable bottles (reuse performance metric in the container-glass sector).https://www.efest.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/EFEST-Glass-Reuse-Report-2022.pdf
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show packaging is tightly linked to sustainability outcomes, with 1,303 million tonnes of food wasted in 2022 and packaging a major contributor to these material flows, while Europe’s container glass reaches a 65% reuse rate through multiple turnaround cycles for refillable bottles.
report visual · Key figures
Packaging waste: targets vs. current conditions
EU policies set ambitious recycling targets for packaging waste by 2030, while existing rates and recycling capacity remain well below those goals.
60%
60% packaging waste recycling target for EU member states by 2030 (targets under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Di
50%
EU requires member states to achieve at least 50% preparation for reuse and recycling of waste by 2020 under original ta
14%
In 2020, EU packaging waste landfilled was 14% (Eurostat packaging waste treatment)
17%
17% decrease in marine litter from 2013 to 2018 in the OSpar area (North-East Atlantic) for plastics (trend reported in
37%
EPR systems cover 37% of municipal packaging waste in Europe according to OECD 2022 estimates (market coverage of packag
source-verifiedenvironment.ec.europa.eu · eur-lex.europa.eu · ec.europa.eu · ospar.org · oecd.org2030
Reference
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APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Packaging Waste Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/packaging-waste-statistics
MLA
Alexander Schmidt. "Packaging Waste Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/packaging-waste-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Packaging Waste Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/packaging-waste-statistics.
Sources & references
39 datasets cited across this report
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)