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 objectives
02
55% of EU consumers report concern about plastic waste as reported in Eurobarometer on attitudes towards the environment (survey year 2019)
03
17% decrease in marine litter from 2013 to 2018 in the OSpar area (North-East Atlantic) for plastics (trend reported in OSPAR assessment)
04
60% packaging waste recycling target for EU member states by 2030 (targets under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive as revised)
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)
06
EU requires all packaging placed on the market to meet essential requirements under Directive 94/62/EC
07
Directive (EU) 2019/904 (Single-Use Plastics) sets reduction measures for certain single-use plastic products including packaging components
08
EPR systems cover 37% of municipal packaging waste in Europe according to OECD 2022 estimates (market coverage of packaging EPR)
09
EU landfill diversion target for municipal waste: 10% by 2035 under the revised Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC)
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)
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)
12
California’s SB 54 (2016) requires a packaging producer reporting and recycling plan framework with increasing recycling targets (implementation timeline)
13
EU Packaging Waste Directive sets minimum recycling rates by material: e.g., 70% for paper/cardboard packaging by 2030
14
EU Plastics Strategy includes a goal of making all plastic packaging recyclable by 2030 (policy target)
15
EU circular economy action plan calls for reduction of packaging waste and higher recycling by 2030 (circular economy policy)
16
Japan’s Container Packaging Recycling Law (1995) established producer responsibility for packaging and set annual recycling targets
17
China’s “14th Five-Year Plan” for circular economy (2021-2025) includes goals to increase recycling rates of solid waste including packaging materials
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)
02
In the US, 49.2% of MSW in 2018 was paper and paperboard and plastics combined (EPA)
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)
04
France generated 5.9 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste in 2018 (ADEME/Emballages plastic statistics summary)
05
In 2020, EU packaging waste generation by material showed paper/cardboard as the largest component (European Commission staff working document)
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)
02
Only 1 in 5 plastic bottles is recycled in Europe (European Commission/Plastics Strategy impact assessment citing data)
03
In 2022, 23.7% of municipal waste in the EU was landfilled (Eurostat municipal waste)
04
More than 80% of all plastic waste never becomes recycled material in a mechanical recycling loop (OECD Global Plastics Outlook quantified)
05
In 2019, US packaging recycling rate (materials-recovered) for paper was 68.2% (US EPA)
06
Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that 70% of packaging material value is lost after first use (packaging circularity value loss)
07
In 2018, US plastic bottles recovered rate was 29% (US EPA/estimates cited)
08
In 2022, Japan recycled 77% of PET bottles (Japan Ministry/industry data compiled by World Packaging Organization)
09
In 2022, Korea recycled 58% of PET bottles (Korea statistics office summary)
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 2018
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)
02
In 2022, packaging accounts for about 40% of all plastic used globally
03
The global paper and board packaging market was valued at $280.1 billion in 2023
04
The global flexible packaging market reached $451.2 billion in 2023
05
The global rigid plastic packaging market is projected to grow to $186.6 billion by 2030
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).
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).
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
Cite This Report
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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 · attribution is report-level
+18 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)