The recycling rate of municipal plastic packaging and container products in the U.S. has increased significantly since plastic recycling first started in the 1970s. PET bottles are one of the most widely recycled plastic products in the U.S., and between 1980 and 1990 the recycling rate of these products increased from 3.8 percent to 32.6 percent. However, in recent years the recycling rate of PET bottles and jars has slowed down, staying at around 29 percent since 2010.
Recycling rate of plastic containers and packaging municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States from 1980 to 2018, by product
Characteristic
PET bottles & jars
HDPE natural bottles
Other containers
Bags, sacks and wraps
Other plastic packaging
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Environmental Protection Agency. (January 23, 2021). Recycling rate of plastic containers and packaging municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States from 1980 to 2018, by product [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229687/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-recycling-rates-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Recycling rate of plastic containers and packaging municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States from 1980 to 2018, by product." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229687/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-recycling-rates-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Recycling rate of plastic containers and packaging municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States from 1980 to 2018, by product. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229687/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-recycling-rates-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Recycling Rate of Plastic Containers and Packaging Municipal Solid Waste (Msw) in The United States from 1980 to 2018, by Product." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229687/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-recycling-rates-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency, Recycling rate of plastic containers and packaging municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States from 1980 to 2018, by product Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229687/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-recycling-rates-by-product/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Recycling rate of plastic containers and packaging municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States from 1980 to 2018, by product [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, January 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229687/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-recycling-rates-by-product/