The separate collection of single-use plastic beverage bottles reached 71 per cent in the EU in 2022, according to a European Commission report on the implementation of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD). This is still shy of the 77 per cent target set for 2025. A collection rate of 90 per cent will be required by 2029.
Published in mid-April, the report is intended primarily as a benchmark for ongoing monitoring. Future datasets are expected to reveal trends in collection and consumption and to allow a more robust assessment of progress. A full review of the Directive is scheduled for 2027.
Data reported by EU member states shows that around 2.54 million tonnes of plastic beverage bottles were placed on the market in 2022, with approximately 1.8 million tonnes collected separately. Twelve countries already exceeded the 2025 target, with six of them even achieving collection rates in excess of 90 per cent.
These results thus point to progress but also to a wide range in collection performance within the EU. While one group of countries is already meeting or surpassing the targets, a number of member states remain well below them.
The Commission notes that high collection rates are frequently achieved in countries with well-established take-back schemes for beverage packaging. At the same time, the EU authority stresses that the data are only partially comparable because of differing methodologies and collection systems....
