Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
Plastic waste trade in the UK - statistics & facts
Huge volumes of plastic waste materials are shipped around the world for recycling, with the United Kingdom being one of the largest exporters. In fact, the UK is so reliant on exporting plastic waste that nearly half of the country’s plastic packaging sent for recycling is currently shipped abroad. Annual UK exports of plastic waste have increased massively since the turn of the century, and even though they peaked over a decade ago, roughly half a million tons of plastic waste are still exported every year.
