In 2021, around 80 to 84 percent of plastic waste in the United States was estimated to be sent to landfills. In comparison, the recycling rate of plastic waste in the country was estimated at between five and six percent in that year - a decrease compared with the recycling rate in 2018. Plastic waste exports (which counts towards recycling rates) were estimated to account for between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of waste management in 2021.
Distribution of plastic waste management in the United States in 2018 with estimates for 2021, by method and scenario
Figures may not add up 100 percent due to rounding
Supplementary notes
EPA estimate based on total plastic waste generation of 40.1 million tons. NASEM estimate is based on plastic waste generation of 51 million tons.
Recycled waste refers to domestically recycled and exported waste.
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Beyond Plastics, & The Last Beach Cleanup. (May 4, 2022). Distribution of plastic waste management in the United States in 2018 with estimates for 2021, by method and scenario [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 03, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339381/plastic-waste-management-shares-by-method-us/
Beyond Plastics, und The Last Beach Cleanup. "Distribution of plastic waste management in the United States in 2018 with estimates for 2021, by method and scenario." Chart. May 4, 2022. Statista. Accessed November 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339381/plastic-waste-management-shares-by-method-us/
Beyond Plastics, The Last Beach Cleanup. (2022). Distribution of plastic waste management in the United States in 2018 with estimates for 2021, by method and scenario. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339381/plastic-waste-management-shares-by-method-us/
Beyond Plastics, and The Last Beach Cleanup. "Distribution of Plastic Waste Management in The United States in 2018 with Estimates for 2021, by Method and Scenario." Statista, Statista Inc., 4 May 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339381/plastic-waste-management-shares-by-method-us/
Beyond Plastics & The Last Beach Cleanup, Distribution of plastic waste management in the United States in 2018 with estimates for 2021, by method and scenario Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339381/plastic-waste-management-shares-by-method-us/ (last visited November 03, 2024)
Distribution of plastic waste management in the United States in 2018 with estimates for 2021, by method and scenario [Graph], Beyond Plastics, & The Last Beach Cleanup, May 4, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339381/plastic-waste-management-shares-by-method-us/
