Over 680,000 tonnes of glass packaging are still not being recycled and the gap is concentrated in just 14 EU countries.
This graph highlights the unrecycled tonnage of glass packaging still required for EU Member States to meet mandatory recycling targets, based on Eurostat data. It forms part of Close the Glass Loop’s own study with a comprehensive overview of results reported by EU Member States to Eurostat, assessing progress against current and upcoming EU recycling obligations.
Key insights from the analysis
- 14 EU countries remain below the 75 percent glass recycling target for 2030
- More than 680,000 tonnes of glass packaging still need to be recycled to reach the target
While EU average recycling rates continue to rise, this data shows that progress is uneven. A limited number of Member States account for a share of the remaining tonnage indicating where action is most urgently needed.
Close the Glass Loop is using this evidence to focus efforts where they can have the greatest impact, supporting underperforming countries through targeted collaboration and knowledge sharing in collection, sorting and recycling capacity.
The full study is available here.