Plastics production, plastic waste generation by industry and plastic waste treatment by method in the EU, 2011

The figures in this page present the amount of plastic and plastic waste that was produced in the EU based on demand from the plastic converters, i.e. industries which either incorporate plastics as components in their products or as part of their production process. They are thus both consumers of plastics and producers of post-consumer plastic waste, as well as intermediate producers of plastic components which will only become waste at a later stage in the life-cycle of the final product. The chart on plastics production quotes the industry figures for the amount of plastic generated in the EU27, Norway and Switzerland to satisfy the demand by the different industries in 2011. The second chart presents the amount of post-consumer plastic waste, i.e. waste generated by consumers after transformation by the industry converters. The third one displays the proportion of different treatments for waste dealt with at waste management centres.