Every year on 18 March, World Recycling Day is celebrated. The aim of the event is to raise awareness among individuals and businesses to limit the quantity of waste produced as much as possible and increase the amount of recycled materials.

The ranking of European nations that recycle the most municipal waste

Even today, many objects we use on a daily basis end up far too easily in general waste bins. This is a huge problem, when one considers the impact of the waste cycle on the environment and on climate change. According to a report published in December 2019 by Zero Waste Europe, "increasingly significant quantities of waste produced by households in Europe are being incinerated for energy production. According to Eurostat data, this amounts to around 70 million tonnes." This translates into CO2 emissions that can exceed 100 million tonnes per year.

Furthermore, in most cases the transportation of waste to treatment centres is carried out by lorry, which in turn consume fossil fuels to operate. In the case of plastic waste, there is also an environmental and health problem, given that much of it ends up in the sea and consequently in the food chain.

Many products are not processed in Europe but exported elsewhere

According to information communicated in 2018 by the European Parliament, only 30 per cent of plastic waste is recycled. And half of this is exported outside the borders of the European Union to be processed. This, the EU institution specifies, is "due to a lack of capacity, technology and financial resources that would be needed to ensure on-site treatment."

Moreover, the figures vary considerably from country to country, as demonstrated by the chart published in this article, which covers all urban area waste (not just plastic). The data, provided by Eurostat, indicate that Germany, Austria and the Netherlands are the countries with the highest percentage values. Italy ranks eighth.