Plastic bottle recycling rates in the U.S. 2019-2020, by material type

The recycling rate of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles sourced in the United States was decreased in 2020 to 27.1 percent. By weight, PET bottles accounted for some 65 percent of U.S. sourced post-consumer bottles recovered for recycling in 2020.

Plastic waste generation

  The use of plastics began to gain popularity in the 1960’s as mass production costs fell. Since then, municipal plastic waste generation in the U.S. has increased dramatically. By 1990, the volume of plastic generated in the municipal solid waste stream amounted to 17 million tons, and by 2018 this figure had risen above 35 million tons.

Plastic waste exports

  The United States is one of the largest exporters of plastic waste worldwide. In 2021, U.S. scrap plastic exports totaled 1.21 billion pounds. Nevertheless, U.S. exports of plastic waste have fallen substantially in recent years, mainly due to import countries, such as China, banning foreign shipments.