The line graph illustrates the percentage of household waste recycled in the UK, France, and Germany between 2005 and 2015. Overall, it is clear that the UK and Germany saw substantial growth in their recycling rates, whereas France experienced a period of decline before a late recovery.
In 2005, France had the highest recycling rate at 50%, followed by the UK at 36% and Germany at 20%. Germany’s rate grew steadily throughout the period, surpassing France by 2009 at 33% and continuing to rise to 57% by 2015. Similarly, the UK’s recycling rate climbed consistently, particularly after 2009, reaching 55% in 2011 and finishing the period as the highest of the three at 61%.
Conversely, France’s recycling rate followed a downward trajectory for most of the decade, falling from 50% in 2005 to a low of 29% in 2013. Although there was a notable recovery in the final two years, with the figure rising to 40% in 2015, this remained significantly lower than the rates achieved by the UK and Germany. By the end of the period, both the UK and Germany had successfully overtaken France in their respective recycling efforts.