Plastic waste exports from the European Union 2015-2023, by destination
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Turkey was the largest destination for EU-27 exports of plastic waste in 2023, with a volume of 315,600 metric tons. For many years the main destination for EU plastic waste was China. However, in 2018 China introduced its "National Sword" policy, which banned the import of several types of waste, including plastics. This saw EU-27 exports to China drop from 1.4 million metric tons in 2015 to less than 400 metric tons by 2023.
As a result of these restrictions, plastic waste exports from EU member states have fallen almost 60 percent since peaking in 2014.
