Eurostat's latest packaging waste statistics put the EU's plastic packaging recycling rate at 42.4% in 2024, up from 41.6% in 2023.

Generation grew alongside it: EU residents generated an average 35.9 kilograms of plastic packaging waste per person in 2024, up 0.6 kg from 2023, while the amount recycled per person also rose 0.6 kg, to 15.3 kg.

The rate is moving in the direction the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) requires — just not close to the pace that regulation sets.

PPWR Article 52(1)(d)(i) sets a 55% minimum recycling rate for plastic packaging waste by December 31, 2030 — a minimum each EU Member State must individually reach, not a target set for the bloc-wide average — building on an interim 50% minimum under Article 52(1)(b)(i) due by the end of 2025.

The EU-wide average of 42.4% sits 12.6 percentage points below that 55% minimum.

For the EU average to reach the 2030 minimum target level, it would need to rise by roughly 2.1 points a year from 2024 onward (calculated here from Eurostat's reported rates, not stated in the source) — well above the single 0.8-point year-over-year gain in the data available so far. One year of movement isn't enough to call a trend, but it is the only data point on hand.

Same EU Average, Very Different National Pictures

The bloc-wide figure blends performance that varies sharply by member state. Eurostat's 2024 country data puts Latvia highest at 71.0%, followed by Belgium (58.2%), Poland (56.0%) and Czechia (53.7%) — all well above the EU average.

At the other end, Denmark (22.5%), Finland (26.9%) and France (27.4%) sit well below it.

For a buyer sourcing recycled polyolefins out of Europe, the EU-wide 42.4% says little about collection and sorting infrastructure in any one country of origin; that still has to be checked country by country.

An Industry Response: New Mechanical Recycling Capacity in Europe

Separate reporting shows at least one European producer adding processing capacity around the same period Eurostat published these figures.

Borouge International is investing in mechanical recycling capacity at two sites: Niedergebra, Germany (formerly mtm plastics), which is adding close to 9 kilotonnes a year of capacity to convert post-consumer mixed polyolefin waste into recyclate for rigid applications, operational in Q1 2027; and Wildon, Austria (formerly Ecoplast), adding up to 5 kilotonnes a year of recycled polyethylene for flexible-packaging demand, targeted for Q4 2027. Together the two sites add roughly 14 kilotonnes a year.

The company's existing plant in Elin Pelin, Bulgaria, already produces more than 20 kilotonnes a year of post-consumer recycled PP alongside flexible PE and mixed-polyolefin streams.

"Circular materials are a strategic resource for Europe and around the world," said Dirk Langhammer, senior vice president of Circular Solutions at Borouge International, in comments reported alongside the investment.

Neither source draws a direct line between this investment and the EU-wide recycling rate, and this piece doesn't either — one producer's new capacity isn't evidence that the bloc-wide average is about to accelerate.

New processing capacity also addresses only part of what a recycling-rate target measures: Eurostat's rate reflects how much packaging waste actually gets collected, sorted and recycled, and collection and sorting infrastructure sit largely outside any single processor's control.

What This Means for Recycled PP Buyers

• Treat the EU-wide 42.4% as a blended figure, not a stand-in for any one country's infrastructure. A grade sourced from Latvia or Belgium sits in a very different collection environment than one sourced from Denmark or France.

• Don't read Borouge's announced capacity as feedstock available today. The Niedergebra and Wildon additions aren't operational until Q1 and Q4 2027 respectively; only the existing Bulgaria output is running now.

• Keep the recycling-rate target separate from recycled-content mandates. PPWR's 55%-by-2030 figure measures how much packaging waste the EU recycles — a different mechanism from the recycled-content minimums PPWR sets for specific packaging categories. Don't conflate the two when discussing compliance with a buyer.

• Confirm origin and certification directly with a supplier. EU-wide or even country-level statistics describe averages, not any specific shipment's feedstock.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the EU's plastic packaging recycling rate rise in 2024? Yes. Eurostat's figures put it at 42.4%, up from 41.6% in 2023.

Is the EU on track to meet PPWR's 2030 plastic packaging recycling target? Not based on the single year-over-year change available. PPWR Article 52(1)(d)(i) sets 55% as the minimum each Member State must individually reach by 2030, not a target for the bloc-wide average — but for the EU-wide average to reach that level from 42.4% in 2024, it would need to rise by roughly 2.1 percentage points a year through 2030 (calculated here), compared with the 0.8-point rise logged between 2023 and 2024.

What is the EU's near-term 2025 target? PPWR Article 52(1)(b)(i) set a 50% minimum plastic packaging recycling rate for each Member State by December 31, 2025 — a deadline that has already passed. Eurostat's packaging waste statistics run on a reporting lag, though: the 2025 figures needed to check compliance had not yet been published as of this release (2024 data, published October 2026), but the 2024 EU-wide average of 42.4% sits well below that level.

Do all EU countries recycle plastic packaging at a similar rate? No. Eurostat's 2024 figures range from Latvia's 71.0% to Denmark's 22.5%, with Belgium, Poland and Czechia also above the EU average.

Is Borouge's new capacity a response to the Eurostat figures? No direct connection is stated in either source. It's included here as a separate example of a European recycler adding processing capacity around the same period the EU-wide statistics were released, not as proof of cause and effect.

About This Article

Informational summary based on Eurostat's 2024 packaging waste statistics, as reported by Brussels Times and Packaging Insights in October 2026, and separate reporting on Borouge International's European recycling capacity investments. It is not legal or regulatory advice. Recycling rates, targets and capacity figures should be confirmed against primary sources — Eurostat, the PPWR text, or a supplier directly — before relying on them for compliance or sourcing decisions.

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Sources

Brussels Times, "Plastic recycling lags EU waste surge as per-person totals hit 35.9kg" → Read the Source

Packaging Insights, "Europe's plastic packaging waste rises as recycling struggles to keep pace" → Read the Source

Packaging Europe, "Investments to boost Borouge's mechanical recycling capacity for plastics" → Read the Source