Europe collects plastic waste. Then burns most of it.
Think about that for a second.
The plastic gets sorted. It gets collected. People follow the rules, use the right bins, and do their part.
And then 70% of it gets burned or buried anyway.
In 2024, nearly half of Europe's collected plastic waste went to incineration. Another 21% ended up in a landfill. Only 13% of the 58 million tonnes produced each year actually becomes something new.
The system isn't broken at the collection stage. It's broken after.
And it's getting worse. Annual growth in circular plastics production has collapsed — from 13.6% in 2022 to just 1.2% in 2024. Energy costs are too high. Recycled plastic can't compete on price with cheap virgin alternatives. Recyclers are losing money.
So valuable material leaves Europe. Gets processed elsewhere. Or disappears into a furnace.
The EU knows this. A Circular Economy Act is coming. New export rules take effect in November 2026.
But rules don't build recycling plants. Investment does. And right now, the economics don't make it worth it.
If doing the right thing still ends in incineration — what exactly are we asking people to sort their waste for?