Cyprus records low plastic packaging recycling rate in 2024

According to data published by Eurostat on Thursday, Cyprus recorded a plastic packaging recycling rate of only 27.8% in 2024. The country generated 23.31 kilograms of plastic waste per capita, but managed to recycle only 6.47 kilograms of that amount. This performance ranks Cyprus among the four worst-performing EU member states, ahead of only Denmark (22.5%), Finland (26.9%), and France (27.4%).

Across the European Union, the recycling rate reached 42.4% in 2024, showing a slight improvement from 41.6% in 2023. On average, EU citizens produced 35.9 kilograms of plastic waste, with 15.3 kilograms being recycled, both figures marking an increase of 0.6 kilograms per person compared to the previous year. Latvia led the EU with a 71% recycling rate, followed by Belgium, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Over the past decade, between 2014 and 2024, the volume of plastic packaging waste produced per capita in the EU has risen by 6.1 kilograms. Cyprus currently remains 14.6 percentage points below the European average for recycling, highlighting a significant disparity in waste management efforts across member states.