How much packaging waste did the EU generate in 2023
On 10 October 2025, the statistical office of the European Union (EU), Eurostat, released new data on packaging waste in the EU for the year 2023. Accordingly, the EU generated a total of 79.7 million tons of packaging waste in 2023. This corresponds to an average of 177.8 kg per person, representing a 4.7% decrease compared to 2022.
By material type, the largest share of packaging waste was attributed to paper and cardboard (40.4%), followed by plastic (19.8%), glass (18.8%), wood (15.8%), metal (4.9%), and other materials (0.2%).
How much of that was recycled?
On average, 120.0 of the 177.8 kg of packaging waste were recycled per person in 2023, a 1.5% decrease compared to the previous year. For plastic packaging waste, an average of 35.3 kg per person was generated, of which 14.8 kg was recycled. Compared to 2022, this represents a decrease of 1.0 kg in plastic waste generation and an increase of 0.1 kg in recycled plastic waste. Over the decade from 2013 to 2023, per capita plastic packaging waste increased by 6.4 kg, while the amount recycled rose by 3.8 kg. It is important to note that most types of plastic food packaging, besides PET, are mostly downcycled, e.g. into building materials or clothes, rather than recycled for the same purpose. Possible reasons include the lack of waste collection and separation schemes as well as insufficient decontamination processes.
The Packaging Waste Directive sets binding targets for the recycling of packaging materials. By 2030, at least 70% of all packaging waste should be recycled. Material-specific targets include 85% for paper and cardboard, 75% for glass, 55% for plastics, 80% for ferrous metals, 60% for aluminium, and 30% for wood.
In 2023, seven EU member states had already achieved the overall 2030 recycling target: Belgium (79.7%), the Netherlands (75.8%), Italy (75.6%), Czechia (74.8%), Slovenia (73.6%), Slovakia (71.9%), and Spain (70.5%). A further 13 countries reported recycling rates above 60%, approaching the 70% goal.
For plastic packaging, the 2030 target of 55% recycling has so far been reached only by Belgium and Latvia (FPF reported).
How are other regions doing?
Separately, on 30 September 2025, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) published a report on single-use packaging and plastic food service ware waste in Californian landfills. Based on samples from 16 landfills extrapolated using 2024 data submitted to CalRecycle’s Recycling and Disposal Reporting System (RDRS), the study estimated a total of 8.5 million tonnes of single-use packaging items disposed of in 2023. The material composition was estimated as follows: paper and fiber (46.5%), plastic (36.9%), wood and other organic materials (9.6%), metal (5.1%), glass (1.8%), and ceramic (0.1%).
References
Eurostat (October 10, 2025). “Packaging waste statistics.”
CalRecycle (September 30, 2025). “What’s in California landfills: Measuring single-use packaging and plastic food service ware disposed.”
