Eurostat data shows that the European Union (EU) exported 32.1 million tons of waste to countries outside the EU. This volume is down slightly by 3% compared to 2021, when 33 million tons were exported.
"Waste imports from non-EU countries decreased by 5% since 2021, amounting to 18.7 million tons," Eurostat wrote, explaining the trend of EU waste shipments to several countries, via its website on January 18, 2024.
Based on destination, Turkey ranked first as the recipient of EU waste with a volume of 12.4 million tons in 2022. Eurostat stated that this volume is equivalent to 39% of the total EU waste exports.
The second largest destination was India, receiving 3.5 million tons of waste from the EU in 2022. The third position was held by the United Kingdom with a volume of 2 million tons.
Following these were Switzerland, Norway, and Egypt, each with the same volume of 1.6 million tons. This was followed by Pakistan with 1.2 million tons.
Indonesia is on this list, specifically in eighth place with a volume of 1.1 million tons. Next are Morocco and the United States, with an equal volume of 0.8 million tons each.
(See also: South Korea, the Leading Country in Waste Recycling)