Luxembourg exported more than 24,000 tonnes of rubbish
Claudio Schwarz, Unsplash
The Minister of Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Serge Wilmes, responded to a parliamentary enquiry, explaining Luxembourg's current waste management measures and justifying his position on the EU proposal to ban the export of plastic waste to countries outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Minister noted that thanks to the efficient segregation of plastic waste in the initial stages, Luxembourg is ready for and even supports possible restrictions.
In 2022, the country exported 24,256 tonnes of plastic waste, of which 11,195 tonnes went to Germany, 6,502 tonnes to France, 2,775 tonnes to Belgium and about another 3,767 tonnes to the Netherlands. A further 17 tonnes were exported to Italy. Most of the waste is carefully sorted plastic, which is then recycled in these countries or sent to other plants within the EU.
Approximately 30 per cent of Luxembourg's plastic waste is high quality industrial material that is recycled into new products without intermediate steps. The Valorlux association also plays an important role in monitoring the recycling of plastic waste, reporting annually on recycling and publishing the data for a wide audience, ensuring transparency of the processes.
Luxembourg tracks where its waste is first processed, but if recipient countries such as Belgium then re-export the waste, data on the final processing points is lost. As a result, Luxembourg does not have full information on how much of its plastic may end up in non-OECD countries, where recycling standards are often lower.
From 2025, Luxembourg plans to introduce an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for non-domestic packaging waste. This will increase the transparency of final recycling facilities.
Luxembourg's position emphasises a commitment to sustainable waste management practices, which is particularly important in the context of stricter EU regulations.
