Why Is The UK Still Exporting Its Recycling?
Most people believe that when they separate their household or business recycling, it gets processed here in the UK. In reality, a large share of our recyclable waste is still being shipped overseas. Despite growing public awareness and improvements in domestic recycling systems, the UK continues to export substantial quantities of plastic, paper, metal, and glass to other countries.
This raises a difficult question. If the UK wants a circular economy and stronger environmental standards, why are we still exporting so much of our recycling in 2025? What needs to change to fix the system?
Key takeaways
- UK plastic waste exports have risen by 84% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.²
- Rising domestic processing costs and limited capacity are driving exporters to ship waste abroad.¹
- Exporting recycling increases emissions and reduces the environmental benefit of recycling.³
- UK recycling plant closures and weak domestic demand for recycled materials have worsened the issue.¹
- Building UK processing capacity would cut carbon, create jobs and improve trust in recycling.
The UK’s rising recycling exports:
the picture in 2025
The UK remains heavily reliant on other countries to process its recyclable waste. According to reporting by The Guardian, UK plastic waste exports increased by 84% in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. This has happened despite ongoing calls for the UK to process more recycling at home rather than shipping it abroad.
At the same time, domestic recycling infrastructure has struggled. ENDS Waste & Bioenergy reported that 21 plastic recycling facilities have closed in the past two years due to rising operating costs and weak demand for recycled plastic. When plants close or scale back, the waste does not disappear. It gets exported instead.
This sharp rise also reflects wider industry pressure. The EU plastics recycling industry is now at risk of “imminent collapse” unless urgent action is taken to address low demand for recycled plastics and the volume of cheap virgin plastic on the market, according to sector experts. The UK’s reliance on exporting waste adds further pressure to the system.
Why the UK exports so
much of its recycling
Exporting recyclable materials is not a new practice, but the scale of exports in 2025 highlights a structural problem. The UK collects more recyclable waste than it currently has the capacity or financial infrastructure to process. The main drivers behind the rise in exports include:
1. Processing costs in the UK have increased
Energy, labour, equipment and compliance costs have risen. For many councils and private waste companies, processing waste in the UK is more expensive than shipping it abroad. Exporting can appear to be the cheaper option, even if it is not the most sustainable.
2. Limited domestic recycling capacity
With many recycling facilities closing and others running at reduced capacity, the UK simply does not have enough plants to handle the volume of waste produced. Capacity issues affect plastic, paper, metal and glass.
3. Overseas demand for recyclable materials
Many countries rely on imported waste as a raw material for manufacturing. This global demand means recyclable waste has value abroad, especially plastic and metals. Exporters can sell materials more easily overseas than into the UK market, which is struggling.
4. Contamination rates make UK processing harder
If recycling is mixed with food residue, liquids or non-recyclable items, the volume that can be processed drops. High contamination levels make domestic recycling more costly and complex. Exporters can reduce financial impact by sending the problem elsewhere.
Where the UK’s waste goes
and what happens to it
The UK exports recyclable waste to a range of countries. While some of this material is recycled responsibly, there are concerns about dumping, burning and mismanagement once it leaves UK shores.
In 2024, the UK exported 598,214 tonnes of plastic waste, a 5% increase from 2023, according to ENDS Report and The Guardian. Data from the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) and LetsRecycle shows that plastic waste was shipped to destinations including:
- Turkey
- The Netherlands
- Germany
- Belgium
- Malaysia
- Indonesia
Recycling standards vary between countries. Weaker environmental regulations in some regions increase the risk of pollution, landfill and open burning. Exporting shifts responsibility onto regions that may not have the resources or regulatory oversight to manage it safely.
For businesses that handle dry recyclables, improving systems at the source helps keep more recycling in the UK. Many organisations use dry mixed recycling collections to separate materials correctly and reduce contamination.
It’s not just plastic:
other plastic the UK ships overseas
Plastic is only part of the story. The UK exports millions of tonnes of other recyclable materials each year, including:
- Paper and paperboard. In 2023, the UK exported around 3.4 million tonnes, according to the Paper Industry Technical Association (PITA), with most going to India, Malaysia and Vietnam.
- Scrap metal. In 2024, the UK exported roughly 7.5 million tonnes of iron and steel, based on data from UK Parliament and UK Steel, with Turkey, Egypt and India among the main buyers.
- Glass waste. In 2023, the UK shipped an estimated 445,000 tonnes of glass, according to WITS, mostly to Portugal, Belgium and Spain.
Mark Hall, dry mixed recycling expert at Business Waste, said:
These are all materials the UK could process domestically with the right facilities and investment. Diverting them overseas represents a lost economic and environmental opportunity.
Businesses can improve recycling performance by arranging proper plastic recycling and separate streams for paper, cardboard, metal and glass.
The carbon footprint of exporting recycling
instead of processing it in the UK
Recycling is meant to reduce carbon emissions, but when materials are shipped across continents, the environmental benefit is weakened.
Shipping the 598,214 tonnes of plastic waste exported in 2024 created an estimated 60,000 tonnes of CO₂ in maritime emissions alone, based on calculations using WasteTrade and BIR carbon factors. This does not include emissions linked to sorting, reprocessing or transport within the receiving country.
Recycling materials domestically would avoid shipping emissions and maximise the environmental gains from using recycled rather than virgin resources. Data shows the carbon savings are significant:
- Recycling one tonne of aluminium saves around 9 tonnes of CO₂, according to Alupro
- Recycling steel saves 1.67 to 4.3 tonnes of CO₂, based on BIR data
- Recycling paper saves about 4 tonnes of CO₂, according to BIR
- Recycling plastic saves roughly 1.5 tonnes of CO₂, based on WasteTrade
If even half of the UK’s exported recyclable material were processed within the UK, it would save well over one million tonnes of CO₂ each year.
Why the UK exports so
much of its recycling
To reduce reliance on overseas processing, the UK needs long-term systemic change rather than short-term fixes. That change should focus on three areas.
1. Investment in domestic recycling infrastructure
The UK needs more modern, efficient facilities that can process higher volumes of recyclables. This includes improved sorting technology and reprocessing plants. The UK Government sets rules for shipments of waste under Gov.uk waste export regulations, but domestic investment must accompany policy if change is to happen.
2. Reducing contamination at the source
Improving household and business recycling knowledge would reduce contamination and increase the amount of waste that can be recycled in the UK. Clearer labelling and simpler recycling rules would help.
3. Policy reform that supports a circular economy
Policy changes must make domestic recycling the easier and more cost-effective choice. That means stronger incentives for UK processing, better enforcement on illegal waste exports and long-term support for local authority recycling systems.
Mark Hall commented on the need for change:
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