The production of waste from plastic packaging, as well as the recycling of this waste, has increased in 2021 according to data released by Eurostat, while in Cyprus the production of plastic waste has remained stable while its recycling has dropped. The percentage of plastic waste that is recycled in the EU reached 41.1% in 2021, however following stricter rules, implemented in 2020 for Member States to report their recycling, the recycling rate shifted to 37.6% in 2020. In 2021, the recycling rate was back to an increasing path, marking 39.7%. According to estimates on the latest data for Cyprus, the country was close to the EU average, by recycling 41.6% of its plastic waste in 2021. However this percentage fell compared to 2019 (50.5%) and compared to 2020 (48.6%). Among the other member states for which Eurostat had updated data for 2021, Slovenia (50.0%), Belgium (49.2%) and the Netherlands (48.9%) recycled half, or almost half, of their plastic packaging waste generated. In contrast, less than one-quarter of plastic packaging waste was recycled in Malta (20.5%), France (23.1%) and Sweden (23.8%). Regarding the production of waste from plastic packaging in absolute numbers, in 2021 each person living in the EU generated an average of 35.9 kg of plastic packaging waste. Out of this, 14.2 kg were recycled. Compared with 2020, both plastic packaging waste generation and recycling increased: generation increased by 1.4 kg per capita (+4.0%) and recycling by +1.2 kg per capita (+9.5%). In Cyprus, the production of plastic packaging waste per person remained stable between 2019 and 2021, but the amount of that waste that is recycled fell. According to Eurostat estimated data for Cyprus, 20.63 kg were produced per capita in 2019, 20.28 kg in 2020 and 20.85 kg in 2021. Meanwhile, recylcing per capita fell from 10.41 kg in 2019 to 9.86 in 2020 and 8.67 in 2021. Between 2011 and 2021, the amount per capita of plastic packaging waste in the EU generated increased by 26.7% (+7.6kg/per capita). The recycled amount of plastic packaging waste increased over the same period by 38.1% (+3.9 kg/per capita). In general in the EU there was an important increase of packaging waste made from all sorts of materials, from parcels for online purchases to coffee-to-go cups. In 2021, the EU generated 188.7 kg packaging waste per inhabitant, 10.8 kg more per person than in 2020, the biggest increase in 10 years, and almost 32 kg more than in 2011. In total, the EU generated 84 million tonnes of packaging waste, of which 40.3% were paper and cardboard. Plastic represented 19.0%, glass 18.5%, wood 17.1% and metal 4.9%.
Source: Cyprus News Agency