March 18: World Recycling Day

Céline Arétin, culture, women's issues and environment correspondent, March 18, 2025

Origin of World Recycling Day

World Recycling Day, celebrated every year on March 18, was established in 2018 by the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) to raise awareness of the importance of recycling.

Recycling figures around the world

In Europe, Germany has a municipal waste recycling rate of 67%. Nordic countries such as Norway and Denmark also have high recycling rates, reaching 56% and 53% respectively. By comparison, France reaches about 45%, while the United States struggles to exceed 32%. In terms of plastic, only 9% of waste is recycled worldwide, while 12% is incinerated and nearly 79% ends up in landfills or in nature. As for electronic waste, nearly 53.6 million tonnes were produced worldwide in 2019, but only 17.4% was recycled. As for paper, every tonne recycled saves around 17 trees and 26,000 liters of water. In the glass sector, recycling one bottle saves enough energy to power a 100W light bulb for 4 hours.

The most common recycling mistakes

Throwing plastic bags into the recycling bin is a common mistake, as these thin plastics should go in regular household trash. Cardboard packaging soaked in grease, such as dirty pizza boxes, is not recyclable and should be thrown away with regular trash. However, the clean parts of the cardboard, such as an unsoiled lid, can be cut off and placed in the recycling bin. Likewise, tissues, paper towels and napkins are not recyclable due to their high moisture absorption. Ceramic items, such as broken plates, should not be placed in glass containers. Another mistake is nesting recyclable items inside one another, such as placing a can inside a cardboard box. This prevents sorting machines from properly identifying the materials, making recycling more difficult. Finally, some people mistakenly believe that rinsing containers is mandatory; in reality, simply emptying them is enough to prevent contamination.