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Which European countries are the largest exporters of plastic waste?

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · · 362 words · By Inês Trindade Pereira
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What to know about Which European countries are the largest exporters of plastic waste?

Plastic waste exports from Europe hit new highs in 2025, with Germany and the UK leading shipments abroad.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Plastic waste exports from Europe hit new highs in 2025, with Germany and the UK leading shipments abroad.

Why it matters

Germany was the world's largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas, according to a new study.

Common ground

It was followed by the UK, which exported 675,000 tonnes abroad, said the report, which was carried out by journalists at Watershed Investigations and the environmental NGO Basel Action Network (BAN) for British news outlet The Guardian.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/05/15/which-european-countries-are-the-l…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
schedule Pending 2
verified Verified 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “It's the country's highest level in eight years”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources state that the UK's export volume of 675,000 tonnes was its highest level in eight years.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 UK Championship (officially the 2025 Victorian Plumbing UK Championship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 29 November to 7 December 2025 at the York Barbican in York…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_UK_Championship
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Advance UK is a far-right political party in the United Kingdom led by Ben Habib, the former Deputy Leader of Reform UK, since June 2025. The party was launched in its current form in 2025, following …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_UK
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Muhammad Ziauddin "Zia" Yusuf (born October 1986) is a British politician and businessman. He currently serves as Reform UK's Spokesperson for Home Affairs. He was formerly Head of Policy for Reform U…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zia_Yusuf
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 2: “In November 2026, under the Waste Shipment Regulation, EU countries will be banned from exporting plastic waste to non-OECD countries, unless the countries wish to import it and can show that they can handle it sustainably”
VERIFIED
Web search results confirm that the EU has agreed to ban exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries by November 2026 under the Waste Shipment Regulation.
info
Claim 3: “at an EU level, the bloc exported 1.5 billion kg/year in 2025, with 50% going to non-OECD Countries”
SINGLE SOURCE
While general EU waste export restrictions are mentioned in search results, the specific figure of 1.5 billion kg/year in 2025 with a 50% non-OECD split is not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — .eu is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the European Union (EU). Launched on 7 December 2005, the domain is available for any person, company or organization based in the European Union. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.eu
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. A supranational union with a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an es…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The European Union (EU) is a supranational union of 27 member states that are party to the EU's founding treaties, and thereby subject to the privileges and obligations of membership. They have agreed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_state_of_the_European_U…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “Much of the waste was sent to Turkey, the current largest recipient of EU plastic waste, followed by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Turkey as a primary recipient of EU plastic waste, followed by Malaysia and Indonesia.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Turkey is an upper-middle-income and emerging country; its economy is the world's 16th-largest by nominal and 11th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP. As the 15th-largest electricity producer in the world, T…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Turkey (Türkiye) is a country that occupies a unique geographic position, lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe and serving as both a bridge and a barrier between them. The modern Tur…
https://www.britannica.com/place/Turkey
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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Discover Turkey. Explore Turkey facts, culture, history & comprehensive country profile with maps, statistics & research resources for students & travelers.
https://www.countryreports.org/country/Turkey.htm
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Claim 5: “It was followed by the UK, which exported 675,000 tonnes abroad”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the UK was the second largest exporter, sending 675,000 tonnes overseas.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — .uk is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United Kingdom. It was first registered in July 1985, seven months after the original generic top-level domains such as .com and the first coun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.uk
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Reform UK, often known simply as Reform, is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the United Kingdom. It has eight members of Parliament in the House of Commons, two members of the Lo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_UK
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It compr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “Germany was the world's largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm Germany exported 810,000 tonnes of plastic waste in 2025 and was the largest exporter.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (Federal Republic of Germa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Germany
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Western and Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north with the Alps to the south. Its sixteen c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nazi Germany, officially the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “the report, which was carried out by journalists at Watershed Investigations and the environmental NGO Basel Action Network (BAN) for British news outlet The Guardian”
CORROBORATED
The evidence explicitly identifies the report as an analysis by Watershed Investigations and the Basel Action Network (BAN) for The Guardian.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mark Joseph Carney (born March 16, 1965) is a Canadian politician and economist who since 2025 has served as the 24th prime minister of Canada, leader of the Liberal Party, and the member of Parliamen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Carney
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Satanic panic is a moral panic consisting of over 12,000 unsubstantiated cases of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA), sometimes known as ritual abuse, starting in North America in the 1980s, spreading thr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_panic
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, which has a negative impact on how they can be used. It is usually caused by human activities. Water bodies include lakes, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 8: “This is equal to 280 shipping containers of plastic waste exported to non-OECD countries per day”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results to confirm or deny the specific calculation of 280 shipping containers per day.
info
Claim 9: “Plastic waste trade exports to Turkey and non-OECD countries have dramatically increased in recent years, starting in late 2023”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence mentions general increases in exports to non-OECD countries, but the specific timeline starting in 'late 2023' is not corroborated by multiple independent sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic materials composed primarily of polymers. Their defining characteristic, plasticity, allows them to be molded, extruded, or pressed into a diver…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 14, 2026 · plastic, polymeric material that has the capability of being molded or shaped, usually by the application of heat and pressure.
https://www.britannica.com/science/plastic
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 31, 2025 · Plastic products are generally versatile, durable and lightweight. Plastic products are prominent in the construction, transportation, and packaging industries. Plastic innovations cont…
https://www.epa.gov/plastics/about-plastic-products-and-plas…
schedule
Claim 10: “Countries had until February 2025 to request to be included on the EU's list for importing non-hazardous waste, according to the European Commission, which says that 32 territories have done so, including two that missed the deadline”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 11: “EU plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries rose to 45 million kg/month in December 2025 from an average of 39.6 million kg/month in 2021”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific figures (45 million kg/month in Dec 2025 vs 39.6 million kg/month in 2021) appear in the context of the report but are not corroborated by other independent sources in the evidence set.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — People sort plastic waste to sell in Sumberejo, East Java, 30 May. The UK exported 24,000 tonnes of plastic waste to Indonesia in the first half of this year.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/08/uk-plast…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Germany exported 20 million kilograms per month to non-OECD countries as of September 2024, making it the bloc’s top contributor. The Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, and Italy followed, with monthly expo…
https://www.plasticsinfomart.com/eu-plastic-waste-exports-to…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Material to non-OECD countries More than 26% was sent to non-OECD or developing countries. This is significantly more than the 16% in 2022, and 6% in 2021, when overall quantities were also lower, res…
https://envirotecmagazine.com/2024/01/24/growth-in-plastic-p…
schedule
Claim 12: “Only around 9% of the plastics ever produced have been recycled, and 12% have been incinerated, according to the European Environment Agency”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.