Recycling rates vary sharply by material and country. The EU reached a 46.6% municipal waste recycling rate in 2022, while the United States recovered only 5.6% of plastics waste in 2019. Waste generation and sorting results translate into measurable outcomes, from paper recovery rates that rose to 49% in the U.S. by 2021 to the policy targets guiding what gets collected next.
Key Takeaways
- 5.6% of U.S. plastics waste was recovered (recycled) in 2019.
- 9.1 million tons of textile waste were generated in the U.S. in 2018; only 2.5 million tons were recycled/composted.
- In the U.S., 34.2% of paper and paperboard in MSW was recovered in 2018.
- In 2021, the U.S. recycled 49% of paper and paperboard in MSW (EPA 2021 preliminary data tables).
- Materials recovery can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by about 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2e per year globally (2016 estimate).
- Recycling steel saves about 60% of the energy required for making steel from iron ore (commonly cited energy savings figure).
- The IPCC AR6 reports that methane has a high warming potential over 20 years (82.5 times CO2 over 20 years).
- The EU reported 46.6% recycling rate for municipal waste in 2022.
- Germany recycled 67% of plastic packaging waste in 2021.
- China’s recycling rate for municipal waste was 60% in 2021 (OECD municipal waste recycling rate dataset indicator).
- In the EU, packaging waste recycling rates ranged up to 89% for certain streams in 2022 (Eurostat packaging waste statistics by material).
- The average global recycling rate for paper and paperboard is 58% (OECD material flow/recycling indicator referenced by OECD).
- The average global recycling rate for glass is 36% (OECD material flow/recycling indicator referenced by OECD).
- The European recycling market size was €55.8 billion in 2023 (per IMARC Group).
- Fortune Business Insights projects the global waste management and recycling market to grow at 5.0% CAGR from 2024 to 2032.
Recycling varies widely but can cut emissions, with most materials still under-recovered globally.
Related reading
01 · Category
Waste Generation2 stats
01
5.6% of U.S. plastics waste was recovered (recycled) in 2019.
02
9.1 million tons of textile waste were generated in the U.S. in 2018; only 2.5 million tons were recycled/composted.
Interpretation
Waste Generation Interpretation
Under the Waste Generation category, recycling gaps are clear in the U.S. as only 5.6% of plastics waste was recovered in 2019 and just 2.5 million of 9.1 million tons of textile waste generated in 2018 were recycled or composted.
02 · Category
Technology & Efficiency2 stats
01
In the U.S., 34.2% of paper and paperboard in MSW was recovered in 2018.
02
In 2021, the U.S. recycled 49% of paper and paperboard in MSW (EPA 2021 preliminary data tables).
Interpretation
Technology & Efficiency Interpretation
From a Technology and Efficiency standpoint, the U.S. improved its paper and paperboard recycling rate from 34.2% in 2018 to 49% in 2021, showing a clear efficiency gain in how much material is recovered from municipal solid waste.
03 · Category
Environmental Impact7 stats
01
Materials recovery can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by about 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2e per year globally (2016 estimate).
02
Recycling steel saves about 60% of the energy required for making steel from iron ore (commonly cited energy savings figure).
03
The IPCC AR6 reports that methane has a high warming potential over 20 years (82.5 times CO2 over 20 years).
04
Waste management is responsible for an estimated 5–10% of global anthropogenic methane emissions (IPCC synthesis cited in waste/climate literature).
05
Landfilling of biodegradable waste contributes to methane emissions unless captured (methane generation is expected to be mitigated by gas collection).
06
The IEA estimates that battery recycling could recover a significant fraction of critical minerals; the report quantifies recovery potential by mineral and scenario.
07
Recycling steel reduces greenhouse-gas emissions by about 56% compared with producing steel from iron ore (World Steel Association lifecycle figures).
Interpretation
Environmental Impact Interpretation
Across Environmental Impact, recycling and better waste management stand out as climate levers, cutting greenhouse gas impacts by an estimated 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2e per year globally while also helping curb methane sources that account for 5 to 10 percent of anthropogenic emissions, where methane’s 20 year warming potential is 82.5 times that of CO2.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy & Regulation5 stats
01
The EU reported 46.6% recycling rate for municipal waste in 2022.
02
Germany recycled 67% of plastic packaging waste in 2021.
03
China’s recycling rate for municipal waste was 60% in 2021 (OECD municipal waste recycling rate dataset indicator).
04
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive targets 65% recycling of packaging waste by 2025 and 70% by 2030 (Directive targets summarized by EU).
05
The EU Landfill Directive target was reducing biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 35% of 1995 levels by 2016 (Directive 1999/31/EC historical target).
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Under Policy & Regulation, Europe’s tightening targets are pushing measurable progress, with the EU already reaching a 46.6% municipal-waste recycling rate in 2022 and aiming for 65% packaging-waste recycling by 2025 and 70% by 2030 while the Landfill Directive set a further 2016 reduction goal for biodegradable waste landfilled to 35% of 1995 levels.
05 · Category
Material Recovery5 stats
01
In the EU, packaging waste recycling rates ranged up to 89% for certain streams in 2022 (Eurostat packaging waste statistics by material).
02
The average global recycling rate for paper and paperboard is 58% (OECD material flow/recycling indicator referenced by OECD).
03
The average global recycling rate for glass is 36% (OECD material flow/recycling indicator referenced by OECD).
04
The average global recycling rate for steel is about 85% (OECD material flow/recycling indicator referenced by OECD).
05
The average global recycling rate for plastics is 9% (OECD material flow/recycling indicator referenced by OECD).
Interpretation
Material Recovery Interpretation
Under Material Recovery, the gap is stark with steel and paper recovering strongly worldwide at about 85% and 58% respectively, while plastics lag far behind at just 9%, even as the EU reaches up to 89% for some packaging waste streams in 2022.
06 · Category
Market Dynamics5 stats
01
The European recycling market size was €55.8 billion in 2023 (per IMARC Group).
02
Fortune Business Insights projects the global waste management and recycling market to grow at 5.0% CAGR from 2024 to 2032.
03
MarketsandMarkets forecasts the plastic recycling market to grow at 6.0% CAGR from 2024 to 2030.
04
In 2022, the U.S. recycling rate (recycled + composted divided by total generation) was 32.1% (EPA).
05
In 2020, the global recycling sector attracted $14.5 billion in venture funding (PitchBook venture analysis cited by Recyling Today).
Interpretation
Market Dynamics Interpretation
The market is clearly expanding across regions and materials, with Europe’s recycling market reaching €55.8 billion in 2023 and forecasts showing strong growth such as a 5.0% global waste management and recycling CAGR from 2024 to 2032 and 6.0% plastic recycling CAGR from 2024 to 2030, even as the U.S. still recycles 32.1% of generated waste in 2022 which signals ongoing room for catch-up and investment.
report visual · Key figures
Recycling rates vary widely by material
Recovery rates differ substantially across materials and regions—from very low plastics recovery to higher paper, steel, and targeted policy benchmarks.
34.2%
In the U.S., 34.2% of paper and paperboard in MSW was recovered in 2018.
49%
In 2021, the U.S. recycled 49% of paper and paperboard in MSW (EPA 2021 preliminary data tables).
9%
The average global recycling rate for plastics is 9% (OECD material flow/recycling indicator referenced by OECD).
85%
The average global recycling rate for steel is about 85% (OECD material flow/recycling indicator referenced by OECD).
46.6%
The EU reported 46.6% recycling rate for municipal waste in 2022.
65%
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive targets 65% recycling of packaging waste by 2025 and 70% by 2030 (Direc
source-verifiedepa.gov · oecd-ilibrary.org · ec.europa.eu · environment.ec.europa.eu2025
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Recycling Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/recycling-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Recycling Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/recycling-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Recycling Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/recycling-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)