In 2023, EU member states exported unprecedented amounts of recyclable raw materials. Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, announced in May that exports to third countries, reached 39.3 million tonnes. This figure was 8 per cent higher than in 2022 and almost three quarters higher than when record-keeping began in 2004. Imports from countries outside the EU dipped by 2 per cent to 39.8 million tonnes in 2023 but were only marginally higher than exports.
The statistics cover both recyclable raw materials such as scrap metals and recovered paper which are classified as waste under EU legislation as well as secondary raw materials (by-products) classified as non-waste.
Continuing the trend seen in years past, ferrous scrap accounted for the majority of EU recyclable raw material exports in 2023. As previously reported, EU ferrous scrap exports jumped by 7 per cent to 18.9 million tonnes last year, only barely missing the all-time record set in 2021. Turkey was the main destination, having received more than half of the total amount....
