EU plastic waste exports to Asia, Turkey continue to rise

European exports of plastic waste to countries outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of mostly rich countries, continued to rise in 2024.

Plastic Waste Trade Watch has published the latest 2024 data, which does not yet contain data for the entire year. Full 2024 data is expected to be published by government agencies by April 2025.

In the European Union, exports to non-OECD countries surged by 74% from 39.6 million kilograms per month in 2021 to 69 million kilograms per month by August 2024. Germany exported 20 million kilograms per month to non-OECD countries as of September 2024, making it the bloc’s top contributor. The Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, and Italy followed, with monthly exports of 15.1 million kg/month, 13.7 million kg/month, 7.9 million kg/month, and 2 million kg/month, respectively.

Exports to Turkey, which serves as a major destination for EU plastic waste in the OECD, also remain significant. Germany sent 7.4 million kilograms per month to Turkey as of September 2024, whilst Belgium sent 4.6 million kg/month, Italy 3.4 million kg/month, Spain 3.1 million kg/month, and the Netherlands 1.9 million kg/month.

After Turkey, the main recipients of plastic waste from the EU in August 2024 were Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In the meantime, Thailand has outlawed imports of plastic waste as of Jan. 1, 2025.

As exports rise, European plastic recyclers continue to face low demand for their products and competition with cheap virgin and recycled imports.

UK and Japan

The United Kingdom continues to ship substantial amounts of plastic waste abroad, exporting 9.1 million kilograms to Turkey and 6.2 million kilograms to non-OECD nations in October 2024.

Japan sent 44 million kilograms of plastic waste monthly to non-OECD countries in August 2024. This amounts to 276 shipping containers per day, primarily destined for Asia.

Global Plastics Treaty

Plastic Waste Trade Watch has criticised the exporting nations over ‘hypocrisy’. Despite aligning themselves with the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) in the Global Plastics Treaty, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, the UK and Japan are amongst the countries exporting the highest volumes of plastic waste to developing nations.

“We continue to call on the hypocritical HAC countries to live up to their high ambitions and cease exporting their plastic waste now,” Plastic Waste Trade Watch said in its data update.

The HAC pushed for lowering plastic production, improving recycling, and developing tools to hold countries accountable to their promises.

Source: sustainableplastics.com