UK sees 4% decrease in household recycling since 2012

With this in mind, rubbish removal company Clear it Waste were keen to analyse which European countries have improved most when it comes to recycling household waste in the past decade. To achieve this, Clear it Waste utilised official data from Eurostat to rank the countries with the most (and least) notable increase in recycling rates.

Key results:

• United Kingdom has the 8th lowest recycling rate, with a 4% decrease in household recycling between 2012 to 2021
• Slovakian households have seen the most notable increase in recycling since 2012 at 265% 
• Romania has the worst recorded rate of recycling with a decrease of -24%.

The countries with the lowest recycling rate:

Ranking eighth is the United Kingdom with a 4% decrease in household recycling between 2012 to 2021. The United Kingdom has decreased to a recycling rate of 44.1%, having had a 42.6% household recycling rate back in 2012.

Romania has seen the biggest decrease in recycling rates, with 2021’s rates being almost a quarter (24%) less than what it was in 2012.  Romania’s recycling rate was recorded as just 11.3% in 2021, the lowest figure recorded in the data.

The neighbouring countries of Denmark and Sweden showed the second and thirdlargest decrease in recycling rates, at -19% and -16%. While both countries started 2012 with very strong recycling rates (42.5% for Denmark and 46.9% for Sweden), each showed a sharp drop, with Denmark reaching just 34.3% in 2021, and Sweden 39.5%.

The countries with the highest recycling rate:

Slovakian’s recycling rate has improved the most in the past decade, with a 265% increase in their recycling rates from 2012-2021. With a recycling rate back of just 13.4% back in 2012, Slovakia has shown significant increase, jumping to an average recycling rate of a whopping 48.9% in 2021.

Ranking second is Poland with a 236% increase in household recycling between 2012 to 2021. Poland has increased to a healthy recycling rate of 40.3%, having recycled at a rate of just 12% in 2012.

With an increase of 202%, Latvia places third. Having started off in 2012 with a relatively modest recycling rate of 14%, Latvia has tripled its recycling rate, to reach 44% in 2021.

Bulgaria and Croatia follow up in fourth and fifth places, with recycling rates of 162%and 114% respectively. Bulgaria, in fourth place, was already riding high in 2012 with an impressive 25% recycling rate. By 2020, however, this number had soared, with Bulgaria reaching a 65.5% recycling rate, the highest recorded in the data.

For more information visit https://www.clearitwaste.co.uk/