NORWAY FAILS TO MEET PLASTIC TARGETS

The member companies in the Grønt Punkt Norge system placed 126,856 tonnes of plastic packaging on the market, and this forms the basis for the figures reported to the Norwegian Environment Agency.

– When we Norwegians do not sort enough plastic at source, it becomes impossible to reach the recycling targets, says chief executive Karl Johan Ingvaldsen of Plastretur in a press release.

Plastretur is a non-profit producer responsibility company that ensures the collection and recycling of plastic packaging in Norway. The company is one of five producer responsibility companies that own Grønt Punkt Norge, together with Sirkel Glass AS, Norsk Metallgjenvinning AS, Norsk Resy AS and Norsk Returkartong AS. The scheme is financed by member companies that pay fees for the packaging they place on the market.

Too much plastic in residual waste

The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) has recently pointed out failures to comply with the requirements for the collection of municipal waste.

In 2025, at least 62,000 tonnes of plastic packaging ended up in residual waste in Norway. This means that large quantities go to incineration. Plastretur states that 78,541 tonnes of plastic packaging were collected from households and businesses, and that this accounts for around 90 per cent of all plastic packaging collected in Norway.

– When plastic packaging ends up in residual waste, it currently disappears straight out of the circular system, Ingvaldsen says in the press release.

Collected plastic is not the same as materially recycled plastic. Mis-sorted waste, food residues, non-recyclable packaging and moisture are deducted. After this, 43,842 tonnes remained as materially recycled plastic.

In 2025, the recycling target was increased from 30 to 47 per cent, while Plastretur reported 35 per cent, the same as in 2024.

Demanding recycling market

Plastretur wants as much used plastic packaging as possible to return to the circular system. The producer responsibility company prioritises high-quality recycling, and at the Områ sorting facility the plastic is finely sorted into nine grades.

– The most attractive plastic returns to the circular system, but the consequence is that we are also left with plastic which, in today’s market, is very demanding to recycle properly, says Ingvaldsen in the press release.

He points out that the alternative would have been short-term target achievement.

– We could have materially recycled all the plastic packaging mixed together into low-value products and reached the target on paper. That would have been poor use of resources and the wrong direction for both us and Norway, says Ingvaldsen.

The press release refers to State Secretary Kristoffer André Hansen from the Ministry of Climate and Environment saying at the opening of Områ in November 2025 that the facility is a crucial step towards achieving the recycling targets.

– Områ is the circular economy in practice. Now it will be our job to fill it with content. We must ensure that the plastic comes here and not into residual waste and for incineration, says Hansen.

Non-recyclable packaging

This year’s reporting shows, according to Plastretur, that Norway still has some way to go. Some plastic packaging is not suitable for material recycling. The reasons cited include food safety and durability. According to the press release, Norwegian producers have improved recyclability through initiatives such as the Plastics Pledge and the Recycling Calculator.

– However, there is more potential here, says Ingvaldsen.

The producer responsibility company states in the press release that three measures are necessary to deal with the challenges: more plastic out of residual waste, more recyclable packaging and increased demand for recycled raw materials. The Packaging Regulation requires much greater use of recycled plastic.

– The recycling targets will not be met by one part of the cycle alone. The entire value chain must deliver, from packaging design to collection and recycling, says Ingvaldsen.