In 2023, Germany led European municipal material recycling with 25.71 million metric tons, experiencing a modest growth of 0.8% year-on-year. France followed at 10 million tons with a significant 4.67% increase. Italy, the UK, and Spain also demonstrated steady growth, with Italy, in particular, showing a 2.02% rise. Contrastingly, Bulgaria and Albania saw negative growth at -1.01% and -7.49% respectively. Austria and Belgium exhibited remarkable year-on-year increases of 19.77% and 14.6%, while Serbia's municipal recycling surged by 147.75%, indicating a major improvement in recycling efforts.
Looking ahead, the future trends for European municipal material recycling by country to watch include:
- Continued leadership and incremental growth in Germany's recycling volumes.
- Substantial increases in countries like Austria, Belgium, and the Czech Republic due to enhanced recycling policies and infrastructure improvements.
- Emergence of Serbia and Latvia as significant players in the recycling market with high growth rates.
- Potential recovery and strategies to counteract negative growth trends in Bulgaria and Albania.
- Broader adoption of recycling initiatives in lower-ranking countries to improve their contributions to the overall European recycling efforts.
Top countries in Municipal Material Recycling by Country
| # | 10 Countries | Thousand Metric Tons | Last Year | YoY | 5-years CAGR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Germany | 25,710 | 2023 | +1.07% | +0.8% | View data |
| 2 | 2 France | 10,000 | 2023 | +2.5% | +4.67% | View data |
| 3 | 3 Italy | 9,550 | 2023 | +5.58% | +2.02% | View data |
| 4 | 4 United Kingdom | 9,020 | 2023 | +1.2% | +1.47% | View data |
| 5 | 5 Spain | 4,470 | 2023 | +1.92% | +2.19% | View data |
| 6 | 6 Poland | 4,010 | 2023 | +4.31% | +4.19% | View data |
| 7 | 7 Austria | 3,200 | 2023 | +2.13% | +19.77% | View data |
| 8 | 8 Belgium | 3,180 | 2023 | +2.71% | +14.6% | View data |
| 9 | 9 Netherlands | 2,540 | 2023 | +1.25% | +1.54% | View data |
| 10 | 10 Czech Republic | 2,210 | 2023 | +9.57% | +13.84% | View data |
