OVER a third of Spain’s plastic packaging ends up in landfill

38.2% of packaging in Spain ends up dumped in landfill, compared to just 0.1% of packaging in Germany, according to figures from research firm Statista.

The UK fares slightly better, chucking 22% of plastic packaging into landfill each year. Other western European countries also recycle more than Spain. In France, 29% of plastic is dumped without being recycled and in Italy only 14% of plastic waste isn’t recycled. 

Europe produces 20% of the world’s plastic waste, about 60 million tons of the 348 million tons of plastic the world throws away each year.