Sofia Martinez
Plastic recycling rates in the US are extremely low, with only 5-6% of plastic waste recycled in 2021. This is a decrease from a high of 9.5% in 2014 and 8.7% in 2018. In this context, it is worth asking how much the US has spent on plastic recycling.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Plastic waste generated by the US in 2021 | 51m tons |
| Plastic waste recycled by the US in 2021 | 5-6% |
| Plastic waste recycled by the US in 2018 | 8.7% |
| Plastic waste recycled by the US in 2014 | 9.5% |
What You'll Learn
The US plastic recycling rate is 5-6%
The US doesn't have the capability to recycle all of its own plastic. The per capita generation of plastic waste has increased by 263% since 1980. In contrast, paper is recycled at a rate of 66%.
The low recycling rate of plastic in the US is in contrast to the high recycling rates of post-consumer paper, cardboard and metals, which proves that recycling works to reclaim valuable natural material resources.
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Plastic waste per capita has increased by 263% since 1980
The US doesn't have the capability to recycle all of its own plastic, and the country's plastic waste exports have decreased from 1.84 million tons in 2017 to 0.61 million tons in 2021 as countries such as China have stopped accepting America's waste.
The low recycling rate for plastic is in contrast to paper, which is recycled at a rate of 66%. This proves that recycling works to reclaim valuable natural material resources.
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The US doesn't have the capability to recycle all of its own plastic
The US's plastic waste exports have also decreased from 1.84 million tons in 2017 to 0.61 million tons in 2021, as countries such as China have stopped accepting America's waste. The per capita generation of plastic waste has increased by 263% since 1980, and the recycling rate for paper is much higher, at 66% in 2020.
The low recycling rate for plastic in the US shows that the country does not have the infrastructure or capacity to recycle all of its own plastic waste. This is in contrast to the high recycling rates for post-consumer paper, cardboard and metals, which prove that recycling can be an effective way to reclaim valuable natural resources.
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The official recycling rate fell from 9.5% in 2014 to 8.7% in 2018
The official recycling rate in the US has been falling. It fell from 9.5% in 2014 to 8.7% in 2018. This is despite the fact that the per capita generation of plastic waste has increased by 263% since 1980. In 2021, the recycling rate was even lower, at just 5-6%.
The US doesn't have the capability to recycle all of its own plastic. In 2021, Americans discarded 51 million tons of plastic, of which almost 95% ended up in landfills, oceans or the atmosphere in the form of tiny toxic particles.
The low recycling rate is in contrast to the recycling rates of other materials. For example, paper was recycled at a rate of 66% in 2020. This suggests that recycling can be an effective way to reclaim valuable natural resources, but that the US is failing to recycle plastic effectively.
The decline in the US's plastic recycling rate may be partly due to other countries, such as China, ceasing to accept America's waste.
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The US recycled 3 million tons of plastic in 2018
The US does not have the capability to recycle all of its own plastic. In 2021, the US exported 0.61 million tons of plastic waste for recycling, down from 1.84 million tons in 2017.
Despite the low recycling rate, the per capita generation of plastic waste has increased by 263% since 1980. In 2021, Americans discarded 51 million tons of plastic, or about 309lb per person, of which almost 95% ended up in landfills, oceans, or the atmosphere.
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