Which Countries Export The Most Plastic Waste?

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]Which European countries are the largest exporters of plastic waste?

[00:00:08]Germany was the world's largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025 sending 810,000 tons overseas. This was followed by the UK which exported 675,000 tons abroad. It is the country's highest level in 80 years and produced enough to fill about 127,000 shipping containers. This is according to a study carried out by journalists at Watershed Investigations and the environmental NGO Basel Action Network for the Guardian. Much of the waste was sent to Turkey, the current largest recipient of EU plastic waste. This is followed by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Plastic waste trade exports to Turkey and non-OECD countries have dramatically increased in recent years starting in late 2023. This was most likely due to high energy costs shutting down plastic recycling operations in the EU according to Basel Action Network. EU plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries rose to 45 million kilograms per month in December 2025 from an average of 39.6 million kilograms per month in 2021. In November 2026 under the waste shipment regulation, the EU is banned from exporting plastic [music] waste to non-OECD countries unless the countries wish to import it and can show they can handle it sustainably.