Recycling Facts
Recycling is a simple act that anyone can do when throwing away many pieces of trash made from recyclable materials. It benefits the environment and economy, saves energy and resources, and improves sustainability. Currently, the USA has a 32% recycling rate, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
There’s work to be done by businesses and individuals to boost recycling in the US and around the world. To highlight this, we’ve brought together some important recycling facts and statistics to provide a good overview of the state of recycling.
These show how recycling has a positive impact on the environment, the costs and energy involved, and where there’s room for improvement. Read on to discover a wide range of facts about recycling.
How much recycling
actually gets recycled?
Only 21% of residential recycling in the US is recycled, according to a report by the Recycling Partnership in 2024. Many factors affect how much recycling actually gets recycled, such as contamination, a lack of infrastructure to process recycling, and incorrect management.
Recycling rates vary across different recyclable materials too. It’s estimated that more than 90% of plastics aren’t currently recycled in the US due to their complex chemical compositions, the costs involved, and the infrastructure. However, more than 30% of glass in the US is recycled each year.
Interesting facts about recycling
Some of the most interesting facts about recycling are how much energy and resources it saves. This benefits the environment and improves sustainability, while also being more cost-effective for businesses and the wider economy. It can be hard to visualize the positive impact recycling has on the world, so hopefully these facts and stats make it clearer.
Understand the benefits with these interesting recycling facts:
- It requires 88% less energy to recycle plastic compared to producing it from raw materials
- Recycling 10 plastic bottles saves the equivalent energy to power a laptop for 25 hours
- Recycle five plastic bottles and it creates enough fiber to make one square foot of carpet
- Glass is 100% recyclable, and recycling a single glass bottle preserves enough energy to power a 100-watt lightbulb for four hours
- Creating products from recycled glass reduces related water pollution by 50%
- Recycling one ton of glass conserves:
- 1,300 pounds of sand
- 410 pounds of soda ash
- 380 pounds of limestone
- 160 pounds of feldspar
- Recycling one ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, while recycling a single ton of cardboard saves 46 gallons of oil
- Cardboard can be recycled at least seven times before the fiber quality deteriorates
- Only 75% of the energy is required to make recycled cardboard compared to producing new cardboard
- It can take just two months (60 days) to recycle an aluminum can and get it back on the shelves as a new soda can
- Recycling aluminum requires 5% of energy compared to creating new cans from scratch
- Recycle an aluminum soda can and it could save the equivalent energy to keep your TV running for three hours
US recycling statistics
It’s estimated that the US produces around 294 million tons of MSW annually, with 94 million tons recycled and composted (69 million tons recycled and 25 million tons composted). However, according to the EPA, it’s believed up to 75% of waste in America could be recycled, but currently only about a third of it is.
These are some important US recycling statistics:
- Recycling and composting municipal solid waste (MSW) saves more than 193 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in a year
- The recycling rate in the US was less than 7% in 1960, but is now around 32%
- The US has a national recycling goal to reach a recycling rate of 50% by 2030
- 94% of Americans have access to a recycling program
- Currently, the US has a 63% recycling rate for aluminum cans, with more than 100,000 recycled every minute
- Around 37% of the fiber used to make new paper products in the US comes from recycled materials
- Plastic recycling rates for PET bottles (the most common type) are only around 30% in the US
- 4 million tons of recycled glass are used annually to produce new bottles and jars
- The US only has a 33% glass recycling rate despite the fact it’s infinitely recyclable
- More than 46 million tons of iron and steel are recycled in the US every year – enough to make another 900 Golden Gate Bridges
- Paper and cardboard account for 67% of all MSW recycled in the USA
- Recycling all the newspapers in the USA could save 250 million trees each year
- 95% of textiles could be reused or recycled, yet the US only has a textile recycling rate of around 15%
- Five states have residential recycling rates that are less than 10% (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, and Nebraska)
- Just four states have residential recycling rates greater than 30% (California, Connecticut, New York, and Oregon)
Recycling costs statistics
The recycling industry in the US is worth around $200 billion. Costs vary across recycling depending on the material, as each type requires different processes. It’s generally cheaper to recycle any type of trash than send it to landfill or for incineration, which makes it a cost-effective option for businesses.
Here are some more statistics about recycling costs:
- According to the national Recycling Economic Information (REI) study in 2020, the recycling industry in the US is responsible for:
- 681,000 jobs
- $37.8 billion in wages
- $5.5 billion in tax revenues
- To manage one ton of trash on average it costs:
- $30 to recycle it
- $50 to send it to landfill
- $65 to $75 to incinerate it
- Construction costs for a paper mill that uses waste paper are between 50 and 80% less than the costs for a mill that uses fresh paper pulp
Recycling statistics worldwide
Global recycling statistics vary from country to country but it’s possible to identify some common trends. Certain nations have policies and plans in place to increase recycling rates, while others still have lots of work to do. The global recycling rate for MSW is only around 19% with less than a fifth of worldwide trash recycled.
These are some more interesting statistics about recycling from around the world:
- Just 6.9% of materials used every year by the global economy are from recycled sources
- Countries that have the highest recycling rates for MSW (in 2022), according to the World Population Review, include:
- Slovenia – 55.3%
- Germany – 47%
- Belgium – 33.9%
- Slovakia – 33.9%
- Estonia – 32.8%
- E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, but only 17.4% of e-waste is recycled globally, according to the World Economic Forum
- It’s estimated that 91% of the world’s plastic is not recycled
- Almost 75% of aluminum produced in the world is still being used today, thanks to recycling efforts
- Just 21% of glass is recycled globally despite it being 100% recyclable
- The global recycling rate for paper is around 60%
- Steel is the most recycled material worldwide
Improve your commercial recycling
Have these stats and facts about recycling inspired you to boost your own commercial recycling efforts? At Business Waste, we can help! We offer recycling services for every type of trash, including providing dumpsters, collections, and recycling tailored to your exact needs.
Speak to one of our team to find out more and get a free no-obligation quote for commercial recycling. Call 888 584 2118 or contact us online today for your free bespoke quote.
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