Germany was the largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, closely followed by the UK, according to new research published in the Guardian.
Germany exported 810,000 tonnes of plastic waste in 2025, according to the analysis by Watershed Investigations and the Basel Action Network.
The second-highest plastic waste exporter was the UK, which sent 675,000 tonnes overseas last year, its highest level in eight years.
The largest recipient of European post-consumer plastic waste is Turkey, where investigations have found workers endure dangerous conditions so unsafe that ‘hundreds have died’.
The EU has agreed to ban exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries from November this year. While Turkey is a member of the OECD, exports to other countries who are major recipients of plastic waste, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, will no longer be allowed.
The analysis found that around a fifth of the UK’s plastic waste exports went to non-OECD countries in 2025. Malaysia was the UK’s third-largest destination for exporting plastic waste, a 60% increase since 2024.
As part of the Environment Act 2021, the UK Government also committed to a ban on plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries, but this remains subject to consultation.
The US was the fifth biggest exporter of plastic waste, sending 385,000 tonnes abroad in 2025, while in 2024, China was the 18th biggest exporter.
Despite being larger countries, a lot of their plastic waste is handled domestically, through landfill, incineration or recycling.
Partly, this is because both countries have less stringent recycling targets than Europe and the UK, where exports can count towards official recycling rates.
