Despite France's commitments to reduce waste and promote recycling, recent reports highlight its inadequate performance. In 2024, France faced a €1.6 billion penalty from the EU for failing to process household plastic packaging. The General Inspectorate's report revealed that France is not meeting collection targets in two-thirds of sectors, with a plastic recycling rate of only 21.4% in 2020 and as low as 14% in Paris. A significant portion of plastic waste is incinerated, landfilled, or exported, undermining its environmental goals, even as it advocates for global action against plastic pollution.
"Collection targets ... are not being met in two-thirds of the sectors for which data is available," it said.
France was one of only two EU nations...that failed to meet a target of recycling 22.5 percent of plastic packaging.
Overall, France was estimated to recycle around 23 percent of its plastic waste - falling to as low as 14 percent in the greater Paris region.
Like many wealthy nations, France also exports several thousand tonnes of plastic waste to other countries, notably in Asia...“This practice generates transport emissions and increases the risk of plastic pollution."
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