In 2021, the export of waste from the European Union to other non-EU countries reached all-time highs, according to statistics from Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency. In total 33 million tonnes were exported, an increase of 77% since 2004.
Turkey was the primary destination country for EU waste last year with some 14.7 million tonnes sent there, three times as much as in 2004.
India received the second highest quantity of EU waste that year, receiving some 2.4 million tonnes. It was followed by Egypt and Switzerland, with 1.9 and 1.7 million tonnes, respectively. Eurostat reported that the volume of waste being sent from the EU to China has fallen considerably in recent years, declining from a peak of 10.1 million tonnes in 2009 to 0.4 million tonnes in 2021.
