What is the state of packaging recycling in Germany and Europe? We summarize the facts for you, highlight progress, and identify next steps. To do so, we analyzed current figures and studies from the Federal Environment Agency, the Central Agency Packaging Register, and Plastics Recyclers Europe. A brief conclusion upfront: Mechanical recycling continues to dominate. The key challenges lie in collection, sorting, and optimized input streams.
Current figures on recycling in Germany
In January 2026, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the Central Agency for Packaging Registers (ZSVR) presented the latest figures on Germany’s recycling performance at their annual press conference (click here for the presentation). The conclusion reached by the UBA and ZSVR: Overall, packaging waste recycling in Germany is working. The recycling rates remain stable.
Specifically, in 2024, approximately 5.5 million tons of packaging waste collected by the dual systems were recycled once again.
- Paper/cardboard, tinplate, aluminum, and plastics continue to meet the targets.
- Beverage cartons, glass, and composite packaging once again fell significantly short of the requirements.
The trend regarding plastics is particularly relevant to the public debate.
- The rate of material-based plastic recycling has risen from 42 percent to 70 percent since 2018.
In doing so, the UBA and ZSVR refute one of the most persistent misconceptions: that the contents of the yellow bin are “almost entirely incinerated anyway.” In fact, more than half goes to recycling, while mis-sorted items and non-recyclable products are predominantly used for energy recovery.
The key point remains: even the most advanced sorting technology cannot compensate for what was neglected in packaging design.
Expert Perspective: Recycling Rate Does Not Equate to Circularity
As positive as the figures from the UBA and ZSVR appear and were presented at the annual press conference, this interpretation of “recycling rates” is increasingly being discussed critically among experts.
Plastics recycling expert Dirk Textor warns that the situation should neither be downplayed nor made to look better than it is.
- His main criticism: In many cases, the published recycling rates are input rates. They reflect what was mathematically “fed into the recycling process,” but not necessarily what is ultimately actually reused as recycled material in the market.
- The most important point, however, concerns the recycled material market: A high recycling rate does not necessarily mean a functioning circular economy. Currently, thousands of tons of plastic recycled material are sitting in storage in many places, for which there are not enough buyers. High rates alone are therefore no cause for celebration if the material is not ultimately reused in relevant applications!
The Situation in Europe
Looking at Europe, the situation can be summarized as follows: Capacities are growing, but the system urgently needs to be readjusted.
Study on the recycling landscape
The study “Mapping of plastic recycling” (available here as a PDF), published in February 2026 by Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE), provides an overview of plastic recycling technologies in Europe, ranging from mechanical to chemical technologies.
It takes a holistic view of the entire process, from collection and sorting to the actual recycling. The study highlights both key advances and areas where further innovation is needed to support the transition to a circular economy.
A key feature of the study is a traffic light system that classifies technologies according to their level of industrial implementation, i.e., from laboratory level to industrial standard.
BP Consultants Analysis
Unfortunately, the study does not include a summary overview of the current implementation status of the individual technologies. BP Consultants has therefore created its own structured overview based on the individual assessments listed in the study.
This makes it clear through the traffic light system: mechanical recycling and conventional sorting are already industry standard in Europe, while dissolution (solvent-based recycling) and chemical recycling still have significant ground to make up.
This overview is intended to provide context and guidance and does not claim to be exhaustive in every detail.
Overall, the PRE study shows:
- Mechanical recycling remains the most established and widely used recycling technology in Europe.
- Dissolution and chemical processes are described as important additional technologies but are still predominantly in the development or scaling-up phase.
- According to the study, efficient collection, sorting, and suitable input streams remain crucial for higher recycling quality and performance.
