Shock balance: Every EU citizen throws 72 kilos of food away!

Shock balance: Every EU citizen throws 72 kilos of food away!

Brüssel, Belgien - as part of the EU Green Week from 1. June 2025 under the motto "circulatory solutions for a competitive EU “takes place, alarming statistics on food waste and waste management were presented. On the occasion of the World Environment Day on June 5, 2025

A current analysis shows that in 2022 around 132 kg of food waste occurred in Europe. Particularly alarming: private households were responsible for 54% of food waste at 72 kg per person. These numbers illustrate the need to raise awareness of sustainable consumption and implement effective solutions.

packaging waste and recycling

The EU also faces major challenges with regard to the topic of packaging waste. In 2022, a total of 83.4 million tons of packaging waste were reported, which corresponds to a per capita volume of 186.5 kg. A slight decline compared to the previous year has been determined, but the long -term trend shows an increase in packaging waste over the past ten years.

In addition, every EU citizen used an average of 66.3 light plastic bags, which represents a decrease of 14% compared to the previous year. Despite this positive development, the per capita volume on settlement waste fell to 511 kg in 2023, which corresponds to a reduction by 4% within two years. These data come from the latest reports from Eurostat , which plays a central role in the provision of statistical information on waste management and circular economy.

trade deficit and circular economy

The merchant data show a decline in exports of recyclable raw materials by 8% in 2024, while imports have increased by 18%. This leads to a trade deficit of around 11 million tons of recyclable materials. A proposal to improve this situation is to strengthen domestic collective and processing capacities in the EU to compensate for the imbalance in retail.

As part of the EU Green Week 2025 , the circulatory economy is highlighted as a central solution strategy for environmental problems. The first and second day of the conference are devoted to expert groups to deal with competitiveness by circular economy. On the third day there is a stakeholder dialogue to integrate different perspectives and experiences.