most recycled material in the U.S. MSW stream is paper and paperboard.
Approximately 94 million tons of municipal solid waste in the United States was recycled or composted in 2018. The volume of MSW recycled and composted has increased a lot over the past three decades, having totaled 33 million tons in 1990. By weight, the Municipal solid waste recycled and composted in the U.S. from 1960 to 2018 (in 1,000 tons)
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Statistics on Recycling in the U.S.
Overview
5
- Premium Statistic Global recycling rates of municipal solid waste 2020, by select country
- Premium Statistic Market value of waste recycling services worldwide 2020-2030
- Basic Statistic U.S. municipal solid waste generation 1960-2018
- Basic Statistic U.S. municipal waste stream: materials generation 1960-2018
- Premium Statistic U.S. households with access to curbside recycling services 2019, by type
Generation
5
- Basic Statistic Recycling of municipal solid waste in the U.S. 1960-2018
- Premium Statistic U.S. composting of municipal solid waste generated 1990-2018
- Premium Statistic U.S. municipal solid waste recycling per person 1960-2018
- Premium Statistic Recycled municipal solid waste in the U.S. 1960-2018, by material
- Premium Statistic Breakdown of curbside recyclable trash generation per U.S. household 2019, by type
Segments
7
- Basic Statistic Breakdown of MSW recycled in the U.S. 2018, by material
- Premium Statistic Recycling of paper and paperboard from U.S. municipal solid waste 2018, by type
- Basic Statistic Volume of plastic MSW recycled in the U.S. 2018, by type
- Premium Statistic U.S. sourced post-consumer plastic recovered for recycling 2019-2020, by category
- Premium Statistic Share of recycled-non bottle rigid plastic in the U.S. 2020, by source
- Premium Statistic Plastic containers and packaging MSW recycled in the U.S. 1980-2018
- Premium Statistic Plastic packaging MSW recycled in the U.S. 1980-2018, by product
Recycling rates
7
- Basic Statistic Recycling rate of municipal solid waste in the United States 1960-2018
- Premium Statistic Recycling rates in the U.S. by select product 2018
- Basic Statistic Recycling rate of paper in the United States 1990-2021
- Premium Statistic Share of containers and packaging MSW recycled in U.S. 1960-2018
- Premium Statistic Recycled rate of metals in the U.S. 2019, by type
- Premium Statistic Recycling rate of plastic municipal solid waste in the U.S. 1960-2018
- Premium Statistic Plastic packaging MSW recycling rates in the U.S. 1980-2018, by product
Companies
6
- Premium Statistic Leading waste management companies in the United States 2021, by revenue
- Basic Statistic Waste Management Inc. recycling revenue 2015-2021
- Premium Statistic Waste Management Inc.'s recycled materials 2021, by type
- Premium Statistic Recycling revenue of Waste Connections, Inc. 2015-2021
- Basic Statistic Revenue of Republic Services' recycling processing and commodity sales 2016-2021
- Premium Statistic U.S. sourced post-consumer plastic purchased by U.S. and Canada 2019, by category
Further related statistics
17
- U.S. municipal solid waste combustion with energy recovery 1970-2014
- U.S. municipal solid waste - discards to landfill and other disposal 1960-2014
- The best cities in North America for recycling waste
- Municipal solid waste recycling Australia FY 2009-2017
- California's landfilled waste volume 1995-2019
- U.S. solid waste exports from California 1995-2019
- U.S. municipal solid waste: share of materials recovered 2014
- U.S. municipal solid waste - percentage of materials recovered 2014
- Percentage of U.S. municipal solid waste discards to landfill 1960-2014
- U.S. municipal solid waste combustion with energy recovery 1970-2014
- U.S. municipal solid waste - containers and packaging recovered 2013
- U.S. municipal solid waste - containers and packaging generated 2013
- U.S. municipal solid waste - nondurable goods generated 2014
- Material recovery from municipal waste in G8 countries
- Municipal solid waste disposal Australia FY 2009-2017
- Construction and demolition waste recycling Australia FY 2009-2017
- Demographic distribution of electronic waste recycling, by gender and generation 2020
Further Content: You might find this interesting as well
Statistics
- U.S. municipal solid waste combustion with energy recovery 1970-2014
- U.S. municipal solid waste - discards to landfill and other disposal 1960-2014
- The best cities in North America for recycling waste
- Municipal solid waste recycling Australia FY 2009-2017
- California's landfilled waste volume 1995-2019
- U.S. solid waste exports from California 1995-2019
- U.S. municipal solid waste: share of materials recovered 2014
- U.S. municipal solid waste - percentage of materials recovered 2014
- Percentage of U.S. municipal solid waste discards to landfill 1960-2014
- U.S. municipal solid waste combustion with energy recovery 1970-2014
- U.S. municipal solid waste - containers and packaging recovered 2013
- U.S. municipal solid waste - containers and packaging generated 2013
- U.S. municipal solid waste - nondurable goods generated 2014
- Material recovery from municipal waste in G8 countries
- Municipal solid waste disposal Australia FY 2009-2017
- Construction and demolition waste recycling Australia FY 2009-2017
- Demographic distribution of electronic waste recycling, by gender and generation 2020
Environmental Protection Agency. (January 23, 2021). Municipal solid waste recycled and composted in the U.S. from 1960 to 2018 (in 1,000 tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 28, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/186266/us-municipal-solid-waste-recovery-since-1960/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Municipal solid waste recycled and composted in the U.S. from 1960 to 2018 (in 1,000 tons)." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed January 28, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/186266/us-municipal-solid-waste-recovery-since-1960/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Municipal solid waste recycled and composted in the U.S. from 1960 to 2018 (in 1,000 tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 28, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/186266/us-municipal-solid-waste-recovery-since-1960/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Municipal Solid Waste Recycled and Composted in The U.S. from 1960 to 2018 (in 1,000 Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/186266/us-municipal-solid-waste-recovery-since-1960/
Environmental Protection Agency, Municipal solid waste recycled and composted in the U.S. from 1960 to 2018 (in 1,000 tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/186266/us-municipal-solid-waste-recovery-since-1960/ (last visited January 28, 2023)
Municipal solid waste recycled and composted in the U.S. from 1960 to 2018 (in 1,000 tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, January 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/186266/us-municipal-solid-waste-recovery-since-1960/