The amount of material recycled by the typical EU citizen has fallen, according to official data.
Fresh figures from Eurostat show that an average of 249kg of waste was recovered per person across the union in 2022.
This was down from 264kg the prior year.
Austrians led the way in the most recent recorded year, with more than 500kg per citizen – more than double the EU-wide average.
Denmark and Germany were next at just over 400kg, while Romania, Malta, Greece and Cyprus all recorded under 100kg per person, according to Eurostat.
A possible factor in the overall dip in recycling could be a reduction in material being discarded.
The research showed that 513kg of municipal waste was generated per EU citizen in 2022, down 4 per cent from the previous year.
Austrians again led the way, with 827kg per person, while Romanians created just 301kg on average.
