The line graph illustrates the percentage of households engaging in recycling in the UK, France, and Germany between 2005 and 2015. Overall, while the UK and Germany experienced steady increases in recycling rates, France saw a significant decline before showing signs of recovery toward the end of the period.
In 2005, France had the highest recycling rate, with about 50% of households participating, while Germany had the lowest at 20%. The UK was in the middle, at approximately 35%. By 2009, both the UK and Germany had increased their recycling rates by around 10 percentage points, whereas France’s rate had fallen to below 40%.
From 2010 onwards, recycling in the UK and Germany continued to rise steadily. By 2015, over 60% of UK households recycled their waste, slightly higher than Germany’s figure, which was just under 60%. In contrast, France’s downward trend persisted until 2013, when it hit a low of 30%, before recovering to nearly 40% by the end of the period.