Exploring volumes, destinations and waste streams

By 2022, the European Union (EU) has managed the waste trade landscape with subtle dynamics. Eurostat's annual data on waste trade shows that the EU exported 32.1 million tonnes of waste to non-EU countries, a modest 3% decrease on the previous year. At the same time, imports of waste from non-EU countries fell by 5% to 18.7 million tonnes.

Key Aspects by Eurostat :

1. Turkey dominates EU waste exports:

   • In 2022, Turkey became the main destination for EU waste exports, receiving 12.4 million tonnes, accounting for 39% of total waste exports.
   • India ranked second, importing 3.5 million tonnes, followed by the UK (2 million tonnes), Switzerland (1.6 million), Norway (1.6 million), Egypt (1.6 million), Pakistan (1.2 million), Indonesia (1.1 million), Morocco and the US (both 0.8 million).

2. Ferrous metals drive scrap exports:

   • Ferrous scrap, especially iron and steel, accounted for half of all EU scrap exports in 2022, totalling 17.8 million tonnes.
   • Turkey was the main recipient, absorbing 10.7 million tonnes, representing 60% of all ferrous scrap exported from the EU.

4. Waste paper and its journeys:

   • The EU exported 4.9 million tonnes of waste paper in 2022, contributing 15% of total waste exports.
   • India emerged as the main destination, receiving 30% of total waste paper exports.

6. Imports: Ferrous metals and paper:

   • On the import side, the EU received 4.2 million tonnes of ferrous metals (22% of total waste imports) and 2.4 million tonnes of paper (13% of total waste imports).
   • The UK played a central role, contributing 33% of total ferrous scrap imports and 49% of total paper scrap imports.