According to official figures, Germany exports significantly less plastic waste abroad than ten years ago.
Last year, exports of plastic waste fell to about 694,000 tons, an 8% decline from the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office announced on Tuesday. By comparison, more than 1.3 million tons were exported from Germany in 2013, meaning the volume has almost halved since then (minus 48%).
Federal statisticians say one reason for the decline is the import restrictions some Asian countries impose on plastic waste.
According to the data, the largest amount of waste was exported from Germany to the Netherlands. “At just under 131,600 tons, almost a fifth of all exported plastic waste went to Europe’s neighboring country, which has an important transshipment point for sea freight in the port of Rotterdam,” the statistics office said. This was followed by Malaysia (90,500 tons) and Turkey (87,100 tons).
Just like last year, Germany is the largest exporter of plastic waste in the European Union (EU). According to the EU statistical authority Eurostat, the Netherlands was again in second place with 550,500 tons, followed by Belgium with an export volume of just under 436,400 tons.
The Federal Office published the data to mark World Oceans Day on June 8, which aims to remind people of the ecological importance of the oceans.
It is estimated that between 4.8 and 12.7 million tons of plastic ends up in the sea worldwide every year. According to an OECD study, the amount of plastic waste produced worldwide is likely to triple by 2060 if nothing changes.
