Germany imported and exported significantly more waste plastics in the first half of 2025 than a year earlier. Imports rose by 16 per cent and exports by 13 per cent, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Compared with earlier years, however, exports in particular remain at a relatively low level.
German plastic waste exports hit a historic low in 2023; since 2024, the trend has been pointing up again. Between January and June 2025, Germany exported a total of 407,000 tonnes of "waste, parings and scrap of plastics", Destatis reported.
Germany's waste plastics imports totalled 279,000 tonnes in the first half of this year, compared with 241,000 tonnes in the same period of 2024. The country remained a net exporter as a result with an export surplus of 128,000 tonnes.
Trade flows are set to change fundamentally in the coming year as new provisions of the revised EU Waste Shipments Regulation (WSR) for plastics start to apply....
