Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus is among the European Union countries with the highest per capita use of single-use plastic bottles, according to European Commission data published on Thursday. The Commission’s 2022 data put Cyprus at 16.6 bottles per person, with Malta higher at 22.8.
Per capita bottle use and collection rates
The European Commission’s first report on implementation of the single-use plastics directive (SUPD), based on 2022 data, found that the separate collection rate of single-use beverage bottles in Cyprus was 45.62%.
The report said the EU average collection rate for single-use beverage bottles was 71% in 2022. Poland, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Croatia and Slovakia had already achieved the 2025 target of 77%, with some of these countries also reaching the 2030 target of 90%, usually through deposit return systems.
Single-use products and fishing gear placed on the EU market
In 2022, a total of 524,003 tonnes of disposable food containers, equivalent to around 1.6kg per person, and 152,037 tonnes of disposable beverage cups, approximately 0.5kg per person, were placed on the EU market.
In the same year, 22,900 tonnes of plastic-containing fishing gear were placed on the market, of which around a third was collected as waste.
Directive aims and measures
The EU’s SUPD aims to reduce marine plastic pollution by banning or restricting the use of certain single-use products.
The directive targets the 10 most commonly found single-use products on European beaches, as well as plastic-containing fishing gear, and includes measures such as bans on cotton buds, cutlery, plates and straws, along with obligations to enhance plastic waste collection and to step up recycling efforts.
How do Cyprus’s bottle use and collection rates compare with those of other EU countries in your view?
