Every year the United States disposes of millions of tons of plastic containers and packaging in landfill sites. In 2018, 1.8 million tons of PET bottles and jars were landfilled, while three million tons of bags, sacks, and wraps were landfilled. In total, 14.53 million tons of plastic packaging waste was generated in the U.S., of which 69 percent was landfilled and just 14 percent was recycled.
Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product
(in 1,000 tons)
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). Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons)." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Volume of Plastic Packaging Landfilled in The United States from 1960 to 2018, by Product (in 1,000 Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency, Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, January 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/