🇬🇧 United Kingdom exports of plastic waste: 2024 trade data
In 2024, the United Kingdom exported plastic waste worth $200.5 million (593.8 thousand tonnes). It ranks 5th of 178 countries for exports of this product. Value rose 3% on 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Exports of plastic waste by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $200.5M | 593.8K t |
| 2023 | $193.9M | 591.4K t |
| 2022 | $248.3M | 519.6K t |
| 2021 | $165.0M | 521.9K t |
| 2020 | $130.7M | 568.5K t |
| 2019 | $159.2M | 571.8K t |
| 2018 | $167.7M | 615.4K t |
| 2017 | $229.1M | 718.9K t |
Where the United Kingdom exports plastic waste to
The largest buyer markets were Turkey (19%), Netherlands (18%), Germany (9%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 46%. Among the main buyer markets, Portugal grew fastest (+171% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $38.4M | 19% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $36.0M | 18% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $18.0M | 9% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $16.2M | 8.1% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $15.8M | 7.9% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $14.3M | 7.2% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $10.7M | 5.4% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $8.9M | 4.5% |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | $7.1M | 3.6% |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $6.2M | 3.1% |
Types of plastic waste under HS 3915
| 3915.90 | Plastics n.e.c. in heading no. 3915: waste, parings and scrap | 45% |
| 3915.10 | Ethylene polymers: waste, parings and scrap | 42% |
| 3915.20 | Styrene polymers: waste, parings and scrap | 9.4% |
| 3915.30 | Vinyl chloride polymers: waste, parings and scrap | 4.2% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 3915.
Average export price of plastic waste
The average declared value was about $0.34 per kg, close to the world average of $0.42.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Kingdom also imports plastic waste
Imports of plastic waste by the United Kingdom reached $60.4 million in 2024 (125.1 thousand tonnes). Its share of world imports was 2%. Most of the value came from Ireland (38%), Netherlands (13%), Germany (10%). Among the main suppliers, Nigeria grew fastest, more than tenfold on the year before.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $22.7M | 38% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $7.9M | 13% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $6.3M | 10% |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | $4.1M | 6.7% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $4.0M | 6.6% |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | $4.0M | 6.5% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $2.3M | 3.7% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $1.6M | 2.6% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $734K | 1.2% |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | $704K | 1.2% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Kingdom?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 3915: Waste, parings and scrap, of plastics.
Plastic waste trade in the United Kingdom: questions
What is the value of plastic waste imported by the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom imported plastic waste worth $60.4 million in 2024 (125.1 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United Kingdom import plastic waste from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Ireland (38%), Netherlands (13%), Germany (10%).
What is the average import price of plastic waste in the United Kingdom?
The average declared import value was about $0.48 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $0.42 per kg.
Does the United Kingdom export plastic waste?
Yes. The United Kingdom exported plastic waste worth $200.5 million in 2024, mainly to Turkey, Netherlands, Germany.
What is the HS code for plastic waste?
Plastic waste falls under HS heading 3915 (Waste, parings and scrap, of plastics). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading plastic waste with the United Kingdom?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United Kingdom with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Plastic waste trade in other countries
More trade data for the United Kingdom
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