Curbside recycling is the most popular recycling program in the United States. In 2021, over 34 percent of the U.S. population had access to curbside recycling services only, while an additional 25 percent had access to both curbside and drop-off recycling. When compared to other developed countries around the world, the recycling rate in the United States is rather low, especially in contrast to European countries such as Germany, Slovenia or Austria.

Slovenia and Germany had the highest municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling rates among OECD countries in 2022, at **** and ** percent, respectively. Meanwhile, South Korea boasted a recycling rate of some ** percent in 2021. Of the 10 highest ranked recycling rates within the OECD, **** were European countries. In contrast, the recycling rate in Costa Rica was below **** percent. Who generates the most MSW? With a recycling rate of less than ** percent, the United States is the biggest producer of municipal solid waste across the globe, followed closely by China. With landfilling ranking as the most common method of MSW disposal in these two countries, they are home to some of the largest MSW landfills in the world, with over ***** tons being dumped daily at each one. In terms of municipal waste generation per capita, the United States ranks second in the world, behind Denmark. How is MSW recycled? Municipal solid waste recycling involves a series of processes aimed at recovering valuable materials from the waste stream and diverting them from landfill or incineration. After the waste is collected and sorted at recycling facilities, recyclables undergo processing such as shredding, crushing, or melting to convert the materials into a usable form. The processed recyclables are then sent to manufacturers who use them as raw materials for producing new goods. Recycling practices can vary across regions, and not all materials are easily recyclable.

Numerous OECD countries have dramatically improved their municipal recovery rates over the past decade. As of 2021, Slovenia had the highest recycling rate, at 76.6 percent - up from less than 30 percent in 2010. Turkey has also seen recovery rates rise in the period, surpassing 13 percent in 2020. Meanwhile in Denmark, municipal waste recovery dropped from roughly 50 percent to some 33 percent in 2021.

As of 2018, the recycling rate of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles in Norway was ** percent, making it a world leader in recycling. In comparison, the recycling rate of these plastic bottles in the United States was just ** percent. Norway's high recycling rate can be explained by the country's efficient deposit return scheme. When consumers purchase plastic bottles, they pay a small additional fee on top of the price of the product and are reimbursed this once they are returned to reverse vending machines. The scheme has proved so effective that other countries have followed suit. In the UK, ** percent of people support the idea of supermarket deposit return schemes for plastic and glass bottles, as well as drink cans.

The recycling rate of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles sourced in the United States was decreased in 2020 to **** percent. By weight, PET bottles accounted for some ** percent of U.S. sourced post-consumer bottles recovered for recycling in 2020. Plastic waste generation   The use of plastics began to gain popularity in the 1960’s as mass production costs fell. Since then, municipal plastic waste generation in the U.S. has increased dramatically. By 1990, the volume of plastic generated in the municipal solid waste stream amounted to ** million tons, and by 2018 this figure had risen above ** million tons. Plastic waste exports   The United States is one of the largest exporters of plastic waste worldwide. In 2021, U.S. scrap plastic exports totaled **** billion pounds. Nevertheless, U.S. exports of plastic waste have fallen substantially in recent years, mainly due to import countries, such as China, banning foreign shipments.

One of the first mass recycling programs in the United States was implemented in 1970 in Hawaii. Since then, the recovery of municipal solid waste (MSW) for recycling has increased, surpassing 69 million tons in 2018.

Plastic waste recycling China was once the leading destination for plastic waste exports from the United States. However, in 2017, the East Asian country implemented a ban on the import of most plastic waste. Since then, shipments of U.S. plastic waste have changed, with neighboring countries Canada and Mexico now being the main destinations. In addition to that, much of the previously exported plastic waste must now be dealt with domestically but – despite having increased in recent years – the plastic recycling rate in the North American country is still low.

Recycling schemes in the U.S. Single stream recycling is one of the most commonly used recycling schemes by material recovery facilities (MRFs) in the United States. This system allows many different types of recyclables – including paper, plastic, metal, and glass – to be placed into one container. While single stream recycling tends to increase recycling rates due to its ease, encouraging consumers to recycle, more than eight percent of U.S. population do not have access to recycling programs. Furthermore, allowing consumers to put all materials into one waste bin increases contamination such as broken glass or presence of non-recyclable items.

More than 92 percent of U.S. sourced post-consumer plastic materials recovered for recycling were purchased by North American reclaimers in 2021. For instance, nearly 97 percent of post-consumer PET bottles were acquired by reclaimers in the United States, Canada or Mexico. Although Canada is the leading destination for U.S. plastic scrap exports, huge volumes are exported to countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Plastic waste management varies greatly by country and region. For example, the United States landfilled roughly 70 percent of its plastic waste in 2019, while just nine percent was collected for recycling. This is below the global average recycling rate of 15 percent. In comparison, OECD EU countries, China, India, and OECD Asian countries (Japan and South Korea) had above-average recycling rates in 2019. Developing countries are also more likely to mismanage and litter a larger share of plastic waste than developed regions. India, for example, mismanaged and littered 43 percent of its plastic waste in 2019, compared to five percent in OECD EU countries.

In 2021, around ** to ** percent of plastic waste in the United States was estimated to be sent to landfills. In comparison, the recycling rate of plastic waste in the country was estimated at between **** and *** percent in that year - a decrease compared with the recycling rate in 2018. Plastic waste exports (which counts towards recycling rates) were estimated to account for between *** and *** percent of waste management in 2021.

The United States exported around *** million pounds of scrap plastic in 2023, a decrease of *** percent when compared to the previous year. When compared to 2015, the volume of scrap plastic exported by the North American country has dropped by nearly ** percent. Where do U.S. plastic scraps go? In 2023, neighboring countries Canada and Mexico were the leading destinations for U.S. plastic scrap exports, accounting combined for more than **** of exports that year. Asian countries, such as India, Malaysia, and Vietnam, received the second largest share of U.S. plastic scrap exports. Up until 2017, China was the main destination for U.S. plastic waste, until a total ban on recovered plastic imports imposed by the Asian country took effect as of January 2018. Why is plastic waste exported? As a valuable raw material, the plastic waste trade makes sense from an economic standpoint. Low-income nations can benefit from a cost-effective material supply, while industrialized nations lacking the infrastructure to recycle it domestically can ship their waste to countries with lower energy and labor costs. However, despite only accounting for *** percent of the plastic waste generated, exports of plastic waste worldwide can lead to concerning environmental and health risks, as poorly managed waste might leak into the ocean, waterways or landfills. As a result, there has been increased pressure in recent years to either ban plastic waste shipping worldwide or raise the standards and monitoring of materials dispatched.

The United States exported nearly ******* metric tons of scrap plastic in the first quarter of 2023. This was an increase of about ** percent from the previous quarter. In comparison, the U.S. exported more than ******* metric tons of scrap plastic in the first quarter of 2018, but shipments plummeted short after. This drop in exports was mainly due to China's ban on importing foreign waste items, which impacted many exporting countries around the world. While U.S. plastic waste shipments have been decreasing, U.S. scrap plastic imports have been on the rise in recent years, signaling increased domestic recycling activity.

The volume of different materials generated in the United States municipal solid waste stream has increased considerably since the 1960s. One of the most dramatic increases was observed in plastic waste generation, which grew from 6.8 million tons in 1980 to more than 35 million tons in 2018. Paper waste in the United States Municipal solid waste is commonly known as the garbage produced from everyday items from households, the commercial industry, and institutions. In total, the United States has increased its generation of municipal solid waste from 88.1 million tons in 1960 to some 292.4 million tons in 2018. Since the 1960s, municipal waste in the United States has been primarily paper and paperboard materials. In 2018, the North American country produced 67.39 million tons of paper and paperboard waste. The ability to recover paper and paperboard waste has steadily increased, surpassing a rate of 65 percent in recent years. However, a large portion of tissue products and retained documents are unrecoverable due to the thousands of chemicals contained within the fibers, which could contaminate newly manufactured paper products. Another fraction of paper waste is landfilled, despite being potentially recoverable. Lack of collection infrastructure, poor recycling habits, or low awareness are usually the main reasons why waste is not recovered. Landfilled waste Although the volume of recycled municipal solid waste has increased over the years, landfilling is still the main waste disposal method in the United States. Out of approximately 290 million tons of waste generated in 2018 in the North American country, roughly 146 million tons were landfilled. In comparison, only 69 million tons were recycled.

The United States generates more plastic waste than any other country in the world. In 2016, it is estimated that the U.S. produced ** million metric tons of plastic waste. This was roughly double the amount of plastic waste produced in China.
Since 1950, plastic production worldwide has increased to more than **** billion metric tons. Of this huge amount, more than half has ended up as waste. Prior the the 1980's there was virtually no plastic recycling available, even in developed countries.

The recycling rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States stood at 32.1 percent in 2018. Although recycling rates in the North American country have increased considerably since the 1990s, it has slowed down in recent years, experiencing little change since 2010.

The recycling rate of paper and paperboard in the United States stood at nearly 67 percent in 2023. Paper recycling in the North American country has improved significantly over the past three decades.

Paper and cardboard packaging is one of the most recycled packaging types across the European Union (EU-27). In recent years, almost all EU member states have reported a recycling rate of more than ** percent, while five have reached rates of more than ** percent. Only Malta has a recycling rate below ** percent for paper and cardboard packaging.

The United States is by far the largest producer of municipal waste in the world, generating over 200 million metric tons, as of the latest data available. In contrast, municipal waste generation in the UK stood at around 29 million tons in 2022. Types of municipal waste Municipal waste consists of various everyday items, such as uneaten food, household appliances, clothing, and plastic packaging. The fastest growing waste stream is electronic waste, especially in developing nations. The volume of e-waste generated worldwide reached 62 million metric tons in 2022, and is expected to continue growing. What happens to municipal solid waste? Once collected by the appointed company, waste is then transported to sites to be either landfilled, recycled, composted, or recovered. Although recycling rates have been improving, landfilling is still the most common form of waste disposal and treatment worldwide. As waste generation continues to grow around the globe, many landfill sites have grown to astronomical sizes. One of the largest landfills in the world is Sudokwon, in South Korea, which dumps around 20,000 tons of waste a day.

As of 2022, Michigan was the highest ranking state in terms of waste sent to landfills, per capita. That year, more than ** tons of waste per person ended up in the state's landfills.

U.S. landfills – additional information

A landfill is a site used for the disposal of waste materials. It is considered one of the oldest forms of waste treatment and is used in many places around the world. Landfills in the United States are regulated by each state’s environmental agency, which in turn, follows the guidelines set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The United States has around ***** landfills, with about *** landfills situated in the West. Overall, the United States generated ***** million tons of municipal solid waste in 2018 – a significant increase from **** million tons in 1960. However, the number of landfills in the U.S. has significantly decreased since 1990 from over ***** to under ***** landfills.

Although recycling rates have improved significantly over the last decades, the United States is far behind leading European countries. Austria and Germany had the highest recycling rates worldwide with ** and ** percent, respectively. Some countries like Austria, the Netherlands and Germany have virtually eliminated landfill disposal as these countries have implemented successful recycling programs and policies. In addition to waste reduction and recycling programs, there are several alternatives to landfills, including waste-to-energy incineration , anaerobic digestion, composting or mechanical biological waste treatments.

Norway generated the largest amount of municipal waste per capita in Europe in 2023, at *** kilograms per inhabitant. Luxembourg ranked second, also with over *** kilograms per capita. Nevertheless, based on data from the previous year, the average Austrian and Dane had the highest municipal waste generation rates in Europe, at over *** kilograms per capita. How does Europe compare to the rest of the world? High-income European countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Austria have some of the highest municipal waste generation rates worldwide. Nevertheless, the average municipal waste generation in European OECD countries was just below the OECD average, estimated at *** kilograms per capita in 2022. That year, Europeans generated on average *** kilograms less municipal waste than the average American. Trends in municipal waste in the EU In 2023, the EU’s average municipal waste generation stood at *** kilograms per capita, slightly down from *** kilograms per capita a year earlier. This was the second consecutive year of decline after a continual growth between 2014 and 2021. While municipal waste generation grew by **** percent in that period, municipal waste recycling per capita in the EU also increased, by roughly ** percent to some *** kilograms.

In 2024, Germany was the world's largest plastic waste exporter, with shipments totaling over 730 thousand metric tons. Japan ranked second that year, with exports amounting to some 683 thousand tons. Six out of the top 10 plastic exporters that year were located in Europe. Trends in plastic waste exports In 2022, global plastic exports were estimated at over four million metric tons, the lowest figure recorded in over a decade. Exports have decreased significantly in the past decade, from more than 15 million metric tons in 2010. This was a result of stricter regulations on the quality of waste allowed to be exported and the imposition of a series of import bans across the world - the latter mainly in Asian countries who historically received the bulk of global plastic waste exports. Where does plastic waste end up? Nowadays, plastic waste flows are mostly intraregional. Since China’s ban on plastic waste imports in 2018, Turkey emerged as the leading destination for plastic waste exports from the European Union, receiving some 315 thousand metric tons in 2023. Meanwhile, plastic waste exports from Japan – the second largest exporter worldwide - were mainly directed to Malaysia and Vietnam. Globally, Turkey and the Netherlands were the largest plastic waste importers in 2023.