Plastic is so Last Year: This Country’s Plastic Exports at Record Lows

The amount of plastic that Germany exports each year has significantly reduced: today, the amount of exported plastic is nearly half of what it was a decade ago, and the year 2021 alone saw a drop of 25.2 percent. 

“In 2021, less than a ton of plastic waste went from Germany to China — ten years earlier, the People’s Republic was still the largest customer with 763,400 tons,” say statisticians from the Federal Statistical Office.

What’s more, there was a 99% reduction in plastic waste exported to Hong Kong and a 94% and 92% reduction to Taiwan and Indonesia, respectively. This is also partly thanks to new import restrictions in some Asian countries.

Though Germany remains the largest exporter of plastic waste within the European Union, the current trend is a positive one. Not only has the amount of exported plastic reduced, but the plastic that is exported also is not traveling as far. As of 2021, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Poland were some of the most important buyers of plastic waste from Germany — countries that are considered “less critical” as they typically have high standards for recycling.