2024 State of Recycling Report (2024)

FAQs

How much recycling actually gets recycled in 2024? ›

10, 2024 – Identifying significant, but fixable gaps in the U.S. residential recycling system, a new report from The Recycling Partnership (“The Partnership”), a non-governmental organization committed to building a better recycling system, finds that only 21% of residential recyclables are being recycled.

However, the vast majority of plastics don't get collected for recycling and are thrown away instead. That is where the 5-9% statistics come from. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that about 9% of all plastic waste was successfully recycled in 2018.

The study ranked each state according to its recycling rate for CCPMs in 2018, with the 10 states with the best recycling rates comprising: Maine (72%); Vermont (62%); Massachusetts (55%); Oregon (55%); Connecticut (52%); New York (51%); Minnesota (49%); Michigan (48%); New Jersey (46%); and Iowa (44%).

You're right, reusing plastic bags is a good idea, but recycling them may not seem as important as recycling weightier items like cans and bottles. And most people seem to agree: less than 10 percent of plastic bags are recycled in the United States, according to the EPA.

Recycling reduces the need for new plastic made from raw materials, saving energy and carbon in the process. It takes 75% less energy to make a plastic bottle using recycled plastic compared to newly made plastic.

Only 9% of the plastic ever produced has been recycled, and 19% has been incinerated. Some of it reaches the sea; estimates suggest that between 8 million and 11 million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean each year.

Examples of non-recyclable plastics include bioplastics, composite plastic, plastic-coated wrapping paper and polycarbonate. Well known non-recyclable plastics include cling film and blister packaging.

Recycling can also have negative environmental impacts. For example, the process of recycling paper requires the use of chemicals and large amounts of water and energy. Similarly, recycling plastic can release harmful pollutants into the air and water.

The 10 states with the lowest recycling rates (excluding FFP) in 2021 include: West Virginia (2%); Louisiana (4%); Tennessee (5%); Alaska (6%); South Carolina (6%); Mississippi (6%); Oklahoma (8%); Alabama (8%); Texas (8%); and Colorado (11%).

1. Waste Management. As the largest provider of waste and recycling services in the USA, Waste Management (WM) handles the needs of over 21 million commercial, residential, and industrial customers each year.

Who recycles the least? ›

At the bottom of the list are Turkey and Chile, which each recycle an abysmal 1% of total waste, according to the report. They are also the only countries to have become worse at recycling since 2000, with 33% and 78% declines, respectively. In Turkey, waste management is not a priority issue.

In 2021, we began offering collection bins for plastic bags and films in our U.S. stores. Our program is designed to collect these materials and mix them into a bale with other recyclables. We contract with companies to pick up these bales for sorting and recycling.

Because of its thin, stretchy, clingy nature — which makes it useful for packaging purposes — plastic film is difficult to recycle without specialized equipment.

Processing: The materials are transported by the collector to a processing facility, such as a materials recovery facility or paper processor. At the processing facility, the recyclables are sorted, cleaned of contaminants, and prepared for transport to a milling facility or directly to a manufacturing facility.

"Primary waste" is plastic becoming waste for the first time and doesn't include waste from plastic that has been recycled. If these trends continue, by 2050 we'll have produced 26 billion metric tons of plastic waste, almost half of which will be dumped in landfills and the environment.

Without recycling, more waste would be sent to landfills, which are already overflowing in many parts of the world. This would create a significant environmental problem, as landfills take up space and generate greenhouse gas emissions.

Environment. Recycling provides many benefits to our environment. By recycling our materials, we create a healthier planet for ourselves and future generations. Conserve natural resources: Recycling reduces the need to extract resources such as timber, water, and minerals for new products.

The future of recycling lies in the shift towards sustainable and circular economies. There is a growing emphasis on reducing waste and maximizing resource recovery. This involves integrating recycling into product design and lifecycle, enabling materials to be reused or recycled at the end of their lifespan.