The EU also exports part of its waste. In 2022, EU exports of waste to non-EU countries amounted to 32.1 million tonnes. This was a slight decrease of 3% compared to 2021.
The majority of waste exported outside the EU (55%) consists of ferrous metals waste (iron and steel), which mostly goes to Türkiye. EU exported a lot of paper waste as well (15%), with India being the main destination.
In 2022, 39% of EU waste went to Türkiye (12.4 million tonnes), followed by India (3.5 million tonnes), UK (2.0 million tonnes), Switzerland (1.6 million tonnes) and Norway (1.6 million tonnes).
The EU wants to counter illegal exports and ensure waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner in the destination countries. In February 2024, Parliament approved stricter rules for waste shipments to non-EU countries. The rules will prohibit plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries and introduce stricter conditions for exports to OECD countries. Shipping waste to another EU country will be possible only in exceptional circumstances.
Parliament’s work to achieve a circular economy
In October 2022, Parliament approved a revision of the rules on persistent organic pollutants to reduce the amount of dangerous chemicals in waste and production processes. The new rules will introduce stricter limits, ban certain chemicals and keep pollutants away from recycling.
In February 2021, the Parliament adopted a resolution on the new circular economy action plan demanding additional measures to achieve a carbon-neutral, environmentally sustainable, toxic-free and fully circular economy by 2050, including tighter recycling rules and binding targets for materials use and consumption by 2030.
In November 2023, the Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the revision of the EU rules on packaging and packaging waste. MEPs want to ban the sale of very light weight plastic carrier bags, set specific waste reduction targets for plastic packaging, encourage reuse and refill options and ban persistent pollutants used in food packaging.
More facts and figures and infographics on waste
Read More: Sustainable waste management: what the EU is doing | Topics