Eurostat unveils EU recycling leaders for 2024

Italy is on the EU podium, in third place, for recycling.

Eurostat explains this by reporting that in 2024, a total of 12.2% of the materials used in the EU came from recycled materials, CE Report quotes ANSA.

The indicator, known as the “circular material use rate” or “circularity rate,” measures the contribution of recycled materials to overall material consumption.

Compared to 2023, the circularity rate increased by 0.1 percentage points; however, this is the highest share ever recorded. Compared to 2015, the rate is 1 point higher.

In 2024, the highest circularity rate — Eurostat notes — was recorded in the Netherlands (32.7%), followed by Belgium (22.7%) and Italy (21.6%).

The lowest rates were found in Romania (1.3%), Finland and Ireland (each 2%), and Portugal (3%).
Differences in circularity rates among EU countries depend on the balance between newly extracted resources and those reintroduced into the economy.