A bogdajas Due to the absence of harmonised methodology, national data on packaging waste are not always comparable. Some countries include all packaging waste in the figure on total packaging waste generation while other countries only include the total for the four obligatory packaging waste streams; glass, metal, plastic, wood and paper and board.

Packaging represents a use of resources, and has typically a short lifetime. There are environmental impacts from the extraction of resources, the production of the packaging, the collection of packaging waste and the treatment or disposal of the waste.

Packaging waste is covered by specific EU regulations and there are specific targets for recycling and recovery. Information on the amounts of packaging waste generated therefore provides an indicator of the effectiveness of waste prevention policies.

False generation-and-recycling-of-packaging-waste Table 1: Targets of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive

By weightTargets in 94/62/ECtargets in 2004/12/EC 

Overall recovery target

min. 50 %, max. 65 %

min. 60 %

Overall recycling target

min. 25 %, max. 45 %

min. 55 %, max.80 %

Year to achieve targets

30 June 2001

31 December 2008

Note: Greece, Ireland, Portugal and the New Member States have individual derogations to meet the new targets. Depending on country, the targets will have to be reached 3 to 7 years later.

Source: Official Journal L 365 , 31/12/1994 P. 0010 - 0023 and Official Journal L 047 , 18/02/2004 P. 0026 - 0032

6th Community Environment Action Programme




Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC)



Directive 2004/12 on packaging and packaging waste

  • Establishes targets for recycling and recovery of selected packaging materials.
kg per capita, percentage

2013-11-06T16:20:11Z No data gap filling is required

Products.Archetypes.interfaces.referenceable.IReferenceable Products.CMFCore.interfaces._content.IFolderish Products.CMFCore.interfaces._content.IContentish AccessControl.interfaces.IOwned Products.ATContentTypes.interfaces.folder.IATBTreeFolder eea.workflow.interfaces.IObjectArchived plone.app.folder.bbb.IArchivable Products.CMFCore.interfaces._content.IMutableMinimalDublinCore Products.Archetypes.interfaces.metadata.IExtensibleMetadata persistent.interfaces.IPersistent eea.workflow.interfaces.IHasMandatoryWorkflowFields eea.themecentre.interfaces.IPossibleThemeCentre Products.ATContentTypes.interfaces.interfaces.IATContentType eea.versions.interfaces.IVersionEnhanced Products.Archetypes.interfaces.base.IBaseContent eea.reports.interfaces.IPossibleReportContainer Products.CMFPlone.interfaces.constrains.ISelectableConstrainTypes Products.CMFCore.interfaces._content.ICatalogAware OFS.interfaces.ICopyContainer Products.Archetypes.interfaces.base.IBaseObject plone.portlets.interfaces.ILocalPortletAssignable eea.uberlisting.browser.app.interfaces.IPossibleUberlistingView webdav.interfaces.IDAVResource Acquisition.interfaces.IAcquirer plone.contentrules.engine.interfaces.IRuleAssignable App.interfaces.IPersistentExtra eea.indicators.content.interfaces.ISpecification eea.alchemy.interfaces.IAlchemyDiscoverable eea.progressbar.interfaces.IBaseObject OFS.interfaces.IFolder webdav.interfaces.IWriteLock eea.relations.content.interfaces.IBaseObject plone.uuid.interfaces.IUUIDAware OFS.interfaces.IObjectManager plone.locking.interfaces.ITTWLockable eea.faceted.inheritance.subtypes.interfaces.IPossibleFacetedHeritor Products.CMFCore.interfaces._content.IOpaqueItemManager plone.app.imaging.interfaces.IBaseObject webdav.interfaces.IDAVCollection plone.app.folder.bbb.IPhotoAlbumAble Products.CMFCore.interfaces._content.IDynamicType OFS.interfaces.IPropertyManager archetypes.schemaextender.interfaces.IExtensible Products.CMFCore.interfaces._content.IWorkflowAware eea.annotator.subtypes.interfaces.IAnnotatorAware OFS.interfaces.ISimpleItem eea.geotags.storage.interfaces.IGeoTaggable AccessControl.interfaces.IPermissionMappingSupport eea.facetednavigation.subtypes.interfaces.IPossibleFacetedNavigable App.interfaces.INavigation collective.quickupload.interfaces.IQuickUploadCapable Products.Archetypes.interfaces.base.IBaseFolder OFS.interfaces.IItem eea.promotion.interfaces.IPromotable plone.app.folder.folder.IATUnifiedFolder OFS.interfaces.IFindSupport Products.EEAContentTypes.interfaces.IEEAContent eea.themecentre.interfaces.IThemeTaggable OFS.interfaces.IOrderedContainer OFS.interfaces.ITraversable plone.app.iterate.interfaces.IIterateAware plone.folder.interfaces.IOrderableFolder AccessControl.interfaces.IRoleManager Products.NavigationManager.sections.interfaces.INavigationSectionPositionable OFS.interfaces.ICopySource webdav.EtagSupport.EtagBaseInterface Products.EEAContentTypes.interfaces.IEEAPossibleContent Products.CMFDynamicViewFTI.interfaces.ISelectableBrowserDefault App.interfaces.IUndoSupport Products.LinguaPlone.interfaces.ITranslatable zope.annotation.interfaces.IAttributeAnnotatable {'ending_date': DateTime('2013/11/06 00:00:00 GMT+0'), 'starting_date': None, 'frequency': ({'time_of_year': '', 'years_freq': '1'},)} False waste 2004-10-07T11:18:25Z The graph of quantities of packaging waste generated is derived by dividing the amount of packaging used in the country by the country's population for the year in question.


(Total packaging waste generation (kg) / Population) = Packaging waste generation per capita


The graph of recycling of packaging waste is derived by dividing the quantity of packaging waste recycled by the total quantity of packaging waste generated and expressing it as a percentage.


(Recycling of packaging waste in tonnes (year x)) * 100 /

Total packaging waste generation in tonnes (year x)

 = Recycling rate for packaging waste (%)


http://www.eea.europa.eu P False 2014-01-27T08:58:18Z Total packaging used in EU Member States in kg per capita. Recycling of packaging waste as a share of packaging used in EU Member States. The amount of packaging used is expected to equal the amount of packaging waste generated because of its short lifetime. Generation and recycling of packaging waste (CSI 017/WST 002) Total packaging used in EU Member States in kg per capita.


WST002 CSI017 erollpin alec The Commission Decision of 3 February 1997 establishes the formats, which Member States are to use in the annual reporting on the Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste. However, the decision does not define methods to estimate the quantities of packaging put on the market or to calculate the recovery and recycling rates in more detail to ensure data comparability.