Which European countries are the largest exporters of plastic waste?

By Inês Trindade Pereira & video by Léa Becquet Published on 15/05/2026 - 10:23 GMT+2•Updated 10:40 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copied

Plastic waste exports from Europe hit new highs in 2025, with Germany and the UK leading shipments abroad. Which countries are taking it in?

Germany was the world's largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas, according to a new study.

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It was followed by the UK, which exported 675,000 tonnes abroad, said the report, which was carried out by journalists at Watershed Investigations and the environmental NGO Basel Action Network (BAN) for British news outlet The Guardian.

It's the country's highest level in eight years and produced enough to fill about 127,000 shipping containers.

Meanwhile, at an EU level, the bloc exported 1.5 billion kg/year in 2025, with 50% going to non-OECD Countries.

Much of the waste was sent to Turkey, the current largest recipient of EU plastic waste, followed by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Plastic waste trade exports to Turkey and non-OECD countries have dramatically increased in recent years, starting in late 2023.

This was most likely due to high energy costs shutting down plastic recycling operations in the EU, according to the BAN.

EU plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries rose to 45 million kg/month in December 2025 from an average of 39.6 million kg/month in 2021.

This is equal to 280 shipping containers of plastic waste exported to non-OECD countries per day, the BAN said.

Which countries want to receive foreign plastic waste?

In November 2026, under the Waste Shipment Regulation, EU countries will be banned from exporting plastic waste to non-OECD countries, unless the countries wish to import it and can show that they can handle it sustainably.

The incoming ban adds to other efforts by the EU to boost its circular economy and strengthen Europe's plastic recycling measures.

Countries had until February 2025 to request to be included on the EU's list for importing non-hazardous waste, according to the European Commission, which says that 32 territories have done so, including two that missed the deadline.

Only around 9% of the plastics ever produced have been recycled, and 12% have been incinerated, according to the European Environment Agency.

If processed improperly, this waste can cause serious harm to both the environment and human health.

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• plastic waste
• Microplastics
• plastic