Gitnux/Report 2026

Waste and Recycling Industry Statistics

From US recycling access reaching 90% of households to a global recycling rate of just 11.7% for municipal waste in 2019, these waste and recycling industry statistics put the biggest bottlenecks side by side with what they cost and how they change emissions. You will also see how landfilling and plastics drive climate impacts, alongside safety figures that flag higher injury and respiratory risks for waste workers.
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November 10, 2026Updated
Waste and Recycling Industry Statistics
Nathan CaldwellWritten by Nathan Caldwell·Edited by Christopher Morgan·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The waste and recycling industry at a glance

The waste and recycling industry is expanding as global municipal waste is projected to rise from 2.1 billion tonnes in 2023 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050, increasing demand for collection, treatment and resource recovery.

$1.6T[82]
Global market size, 2026
6.0%[82]
Forecast CAGR, 2026–2033
3.8B tonnes[83]
Projected municipal waste, 2050
48.1%[10]
EU municipal recycling rate, 2024
Market size
Grand View Research estimates the global waste management market at $1.5 trillion in 2025 and $1.6 trillion in 2026. UNEP estimated global direct municipal solid-waste management costs at $252 billion in 2020, rising to $361 billion when pollution, health and climate costs are included.[82][83]
Forecast & CAGR
The global waste management market is forecast to grow from $1.6 trillion in 2026 to $2.4 trillion in 2033, representing a 6.0% CAGR. Separately, UNEP projects municipal solid waste generation to increase from 2.1 billion tonnes in 2023 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050.[82][83]
Market share & regions
The EU recycled 48.1% of municipal waste in 2024, but performance varied substantially: Germany reached 67%, while Austria and the Netherlands each reached 61%. The EU generated 517 kilograms of municipal waste per person in 2024.[10]
Segmentation
The industry spans collection, landfill disposal, recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, waste-to-energy and hazardous-waste treatment. In Texas in 2024, 206 active municipal solid-waste landfills and 186 active processing or composting facilities reported operating data, illustrating the importance of both disposal and recovery infrastructure.[84]
Pricing
Pricing varies by material, facility and geography. Texas reported average 2024 municipal solid-waste landfill tipping fees of $45.15 per ton, compared with $59.06 per ton at municipal solid-waste processing facilities.[84]
Trends, drivers & challenges
The principal structural driver is rising waste generation: UNEP projects 3.8 billion tonnes of municipal waste annually by 2050 under current trajectories. The same analysis estimates that the global annual cost of waste management could reach $640.3 billion by 2050 without urgent action, while circular-economy measures could produce a net annual gain of $108.5 billion.[83][85]
Consumer behavior & competition
EU residents generated 517 kilograms of municipal waste per person in 2024, while 48.1% of municipal waste was recycled. Competitive pressure is therefore shifting toward convenient collection, higher-quality sorting and recovery services that can meet tightening recycling targets.[10]
M&A
M&A remained active in 2026. Clean Harbors agreed to acquire Terra Nova Solutions for $225 million, adding a provider expected to generate $45 million–$50 million of annual revenue, while TPG agreed to acquire Waste Eliminator and Liberty Waste Solutions to build a regional Southeastern U.S. waste platform.[86][87]
Regulation
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation began applying on a phased basis from 12 August 2026. It introduces requirements covering packaging recyclability, recycled content, waste prevention, reuse, collection and restrictions on selected materials, including PFAS in food-contact packaging.[88][89]
Latest news
Recent industry developments include the August 2026 acquisition of Harp Renewables by Viably to expand organics-processing capabilities and the June 2026 agreement by TPG to acquire Waste Eliminator and Liberty Waste Solutions. These transactions highlight continued investment in organics recovery, regional collection and integrated waste infrastructure.[90][87]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Waste And Recycling Industry

The leading companies in the waste and recycling industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 9, 2026 · Next review December 9, 2026

Verdict

Paprec leads Gitnux's 2026 waste and recycling ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with processed millions of tonnes across its network. Waste Connections is the highest-ranked waste collection operator at 8.5, with serves about nine million customers across 46 US states and six Canadian provinces.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in recycling processing

    Paprec

    FR

    Ranked #1 · 9.0 · Recycling processing

    Why we picked it: It operates recycling and waste recovery across France and Europe, processing millions of tonnes.

    See in ranking ↓Visit paprec.com ↗

  2. Leader in waste collection

    Waste Connections

    CA

    Ranked #2 · 8.5 · Waste collection

    Why we picked it: It provides solid waste collection, disposal, recycling, and renewable fuels to about nine million customers.

    See in ranking ↓Visit wasteconnections.com ↗

  3. Leader in environmental services

    Republic Services

    US

    Ranked #3 · 8.5 · Environmental services

    Why we picked it: Its offerings cover collection, disposal, recycling, and environmental services in the United States.

    See in ranking ↓Visit republicservices.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the waste and recycling industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Paprec

Recycling processing · FR

9.0
2

Waste Connections

Waste collection · CA

8.5
3

Republic Services

Environmental services · US

8.5
4

Cleanaway Waste Management

Waste collection · AU

8.3
5

Veolia

Environmental services · FR

8.3
6

GFL Environmental

Solid waste collection, recycling and disposal in North America · CA

8.2
7

SUEZ

Waste collection, treatment, recycling and recovery worldwide · FR

8.1
8

TOMRA Systems

Reverse vending and automated recycling sorting systems · NO

8.0
9

Clean Harbors

Hazardous waste treatment, disposal and recycling in North America · US

8.0
10

Befesa

Hazardous waste recycling for steel and aluminium industries · LU

7.5

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 9, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Nathan Caldwell. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the waste and recycling industry. In Waste And Recycling Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/waste-and-recycling-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest waste and recycling companies

Veolia leads with $47.9B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

Veolia$47.9B
Republic Services$16.6B
SUEZ$10.3B
Waste Connections$9.5B
GFL Environmental$6.6B
Clean Harbors$6.0B
source-verifiedveolia.com · investor.republicservices.com · suez.com · sec.gov · s24.q4cdn.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption in waste management is expected to grow 22% annually through 2030, while automation schedules can reach 24 hours per day for material-recovery facilities.

AI in the waste and recycling industry

  • 22% was the expected annual growth rate for AI adoption in waste management through 2030, according to industry reporting.[1]
  • 700 items per minute can be sorted by the Antfarm X1 AI-enabled recycling system in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[1]
  • 1,800 waste-management companies researched AI-related topics each week in 2024–2025, generating nearly 270,000 searches over the year, according to CurbWaste.[2]
  • More than 50 material categories can be identified by AMP ONE’s AI-assisted sorting system in Cleveland, United States.[1]

Automation in the waste and recycling industry

  • Robotic sorting had expanded across multiple types of North American recycling facilities by 2019, following early deployments at Alpine Waste & Recycling’s Colorado MRF.[3]
  • 24 hours per day is the potential operating schedule for material-recovery facilities using automation and robotics, with minimal downtime, according to the National Academies.[4]
  • Eight robotics adoption hubs, including a recycling hub, were being established under a £40 million United Kingdom government initiative in 2026.[5]

Digital Transformation in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 66% of German waste-management firms planned to increase their engagement with digitalization in the future.[6]
  • 51% of global waste and recycling companies planned to evolve and invest in IT architecture during 2024, according to an industry benchmark survey.[7]
  • 72% of surveyed UK environmental-services organizations expected the pace of digital transformation to accelerate over the following three to five years.[8]
  • 61% of German waste-management firms relied on digital technology for dispatching and logistics.[6]
  • 60% of global waste and recycling organizations identified resistance to change as their largest digital-implementation challenge in 2024.[7]

Technology Adoption in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 20.3% of environmental-industry projects used remote sensors or monitors in 2023.[9]
  • 52.5% of environmental-industry projects used IT systems and software in 2023, compared with 52.2% in 2020.[9]
  • 19.1% of environmental-industry projects used satellite technology in 2023.[9]
  • 47.4% of environmental-industry projects used mapping, modeling and visualization technologies in 2023.[9]
  • 34.3% of environmental-industry projects used analytical or monitoring technology in 2023.[9]

Cloud Computing in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • About 50% of surveyed German waste-management firms considered cloud computing already relevant or relevant within the following five years.[6]
  • 45.52% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services hosted their databases in the cloud in 2025.[10]
  • 30.12% of EU enterprises using paid cloud services purchased cloud-based enterprise-resource-planning applications in 2025.[10]
  • 39.52% to 62.11% of enterprises across most EU economic sectors used paid cloud-computing services in 2025; water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation recorded the largest year-on-year increase.[10]
  • 30% of sustainability-services clients used cloud technology in engagements, based on a global study of more than 22,000 clients.[11]

Big Data in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 73% of environmental-industry respondents rated data management as critically or highly important in the 2023 global Geoscience Data Management Survey.[12]
  • 43% of German waste-management-firm respondents used monitoring of container filling levels, while 13% were implementing it, in the 2021 industry survey.[6]
  • 30% of German waste-management-firm respondents used real-time data transmission to offices and 14% were implementing it in the 2021 industry survey.[6]
  • 56% of sustainability-services client engagements used analytics, the highest adoption rate among the digital technologies assessed globally.[11]
  • 21% of environmental-industry respondents said they lacked enough information to make strong data-driven decisions in the 2023 global Geoscience Data Management Survey.[12]
  • 42% of German waste-management firms expected big-data analytics to become relevant within 12 months, based on the survey’s most digitally advanced respondent group.[6]

IoT in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 17.8% of environmental-industry projects used IoT or connectivity technologies in 2023, up from 14.4% in 2020.[9]
  • 25% of surveyed UK environmental-services organizations expected Internet of Things technologies to have a major impact over the following three to five years.[8]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Waste and recycling organizations still spend substantial time on reporting, with 79% exporting operational data into Excel in 2025, even as telematics and route analytics reduce misses.

Business intelligence in the waste and recycling industry

  • 80% lower recycling contamination was reported by an Alameda County sanitation company using AI and dumpster-camera analytics.[13]
  • 20% lower waste-management costs were reported by an Alameda County sanitation company using AI and dumpster-camera analytics.[13]
  • 1,000 tons of residential waste collected on a Wednesday in September was cited as an example of an institutional solid-waste KPI.[14]
  • 3 statistically significant digitalization clusters were identified among German private and public waste-management firms.[15]
  • 100,000 households were covered by the Atlanta operation whose maintenance performance was analyzed using telematics data.[16]
  • 6 digital technologies were used to classify German waste-management firms into digitalization clusters.[15]

Data analytics in the waste and recycling industry

  • 35% fewer missed collections resulted from Routeware data analysis in Dallas.[16]
  • 20% lower waste-management costs were achieved by an Alameda County sanitation company using AI analytics and dumpster cameras.[13]
  • 105 recycling facilities were included in WM’s connected North American network as of December 31, 2024.[17]
  • 262 active landfills were included in WM’s connected North American network as of December 31, 2024.[17]
  • 15,000-plus daily collection routes provide operational data across WM’s North American network.[17]
  • 30% fewer major truck repairs resulted from telematics-supported predictive analytics in Atlanta’s waste fleet.[16]

Data Quality in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across supply-management organizations, 49% rate their data quality as good or excellent in a 2024 survey of more than 121 respondents.[18]
  • Across waste and recycling organizations, 66% spend at least 10 hours per week manually compiling reports, based on a 2025 survey of 154 industry leaders.[19]
  • Across waste and recycling organizations, 79% still export operational data into Excel, based on a survey of 154 industry leaders in 2025.[19]
  • Across supply-management organizations, 23% spend at least 21% of their time cleaning data, according to a 2024 survey of more than 121 respondents.[18]
  • Across supply-management organizations, 67% say their data quality is better or significantly better than two years earlier, according to a 2024 survey.[18]

Data Governance in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across supply-management organizations with a data-governance function, 47% house it in a center of excellence, according to a 2024 survey.[18]
  • Across supply-management organizations, 81% find their data-governance program useful, according to a 2024 survey of more than 121 respondents.[18]
  • Across organizations globally, 65% report that data governance is in place only at an initial, lower-maturity stage, according to DATAVERSITY’s 2024 survey.[20]
  • Across organizations globally, 32.1% report having a formal data- and analytics-governance organization in place, while 67.9% report none, in the 2024 study.[21]
  • Across supply-management organizations, 61% have a dedicated data-governance function, according to a 2024 survey of more than 121 respondents.[18]

KPIs in the waste and recycling industry

  • 13,590 alternative-fuel vehicles were in WM’s core solid-waste and recycling fleet in 2025.[22]
  • 57% of WM’s core solid-waste and recycling fleet used alternative fuel in 2021.[22]
  • 500 collection facilities formed part of WM’s connected North American network as of December 31, 2024.[17]
  • 700 million commercial-waste yards were handled by WM annually across its coordinated collection network.[17]
  • 72% of WM’s core solid-waste and recycling fleet used alternative fuel in 2025.[22]
  • 3.7814 million tons of organics were recovered for recycling by WM in 2024.[22]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Growth is tied to municipal services and recycling infrastructure; municipal waste services accounted for 53.4% of global waste-recycling services revenue in 2024.

Growth in the waste and recycling industry

  • The global waste-recycling services market grew at a 6.3% compound annual rate between 2023 and 2024.[23]
  • Municipal waste services accounted for 53.4% of global waste-recycling services revenue in 2024.[23]
  • TOMRA Recycling revenue grew 3% in North America during 2024.[24]
  • Republic Services invested $1.1 billion in strategic acquisitions during 2025.[25]
  • TOMRA Recycling revenue grew 9% in Europe during 2024.[24]
  • TOMRA Recycling revenue declined 2% to €266 million in 2024 from €270 million in 2023.[24]

Differentiation in the waste and recycling industry

  • WM operated 51 single-stream recycling facilities at December 31, 2025.[26]
  • Dulsco Environment diverted 65% of handled waste away from landfill in 2024.[27]
  • Dulsco’s construction-and-demolition recycling plants recycled and diverted up to 93% of C&D waste from landfill in 2024.[27]
  • Dulsco Environment handled more than 1.2 million tonnes of waste in 2024.[27]

Mergers and acquisitions in the waste and recycling industry

  • WM’s 2025 revenue included operations from the Stericycle acquisition in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.[28]
  • Benchmark International reported that waste-recycling-sector participants expected to pursue acquisitions to scale operations in 2024.[23]
  • Republic Services reported a strong acquisition pipeline in 2025 while expanding recycling, waste and environmental-solutions operations.[25]
  • WM reported a smaller recycling-related acquisition in the Netherlands in 2023.[28]
  • WM’s 2024 revenue included operations from the Stericycle acquisition across seven European countries.[28]
  • Republic Services expanded into new markets through strategic transactions during 2025.[25]

Strategic partnerships in the waste and recycling industry

  • Dow and SCG Chemicals planned to transform 200,000 tonnes per year of plastic waste into circular products by 2030 in Asia-Pacific.[29]
  • Renewi and Freepoint Eco-Systems planned a sorting facility to produce 80,000 tonnes of feedstock for advanced plastic recycling in Belgium.[30]
  • Equans and Community Wood Recycling diverted 34.7 tonnes of residual wood in the United Kingdom during 2024.[31]
  • CARBIOS and Landbell Group’s 2024 agreement targeted sourcing, preparation and enzymatic recycling of post-consumer PET waste for a commercial plant in France.[32]
  • Equans and Community Wood Recycling avoided approximately 17 tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent emissions through their 2024 partnership.[31]
  • The planned Kentucky battery-recycling facility was expected to create about 60 jobs through the Ascend Elements, SK ecoplant and TES partnership.[33]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce demand is projected to rise, with 46,400 new people forecast for the UK waste and recycling workforce between 2024 and 2030, including replacement demand.

Hiring in the waste and recycling industry

  • 933 employees were hired by Reworld in 2024 across its North American waste-to-energy and waste-management operations.[34]
  • 36% of Polish material-recovery employers sought sorters between February 2022 and February 2023.[35]
  • 27% of Polish material-recovery employers were seeking employees in 2022.[35]
  • 46,400 new people are forecast to be required by the United Kingdom waste and recycling workforce between 2024 and 2030, including replacement demand.[36]
  • 37% of Polish waste-treatment and disposal enterprises were seeking employees in 2022.[35]

Employee retention in the waste and recycling industry

  • 24% was Reworld’s total employee turnover rate in 2024 across North America.[34]
  • 25% was Reworld’s employee turnover rate outside the United States in 2024.[34]
  • 19% was Reworld’s turnover rate for employees over 50 in 2024.[34]
  • 45% was Reworld’s turnover rate for employees under 30 in 2024.[34]
  • 28% was Reworld’s female-employee turnover rate in 2024, compared with 23% for male employees.[34]

Remote Work in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. workers with teleworkable jobs, 25% rarely or never worked from home in October 2024.[37]
  • Across U.S. workers with teleworkable jobs, 14% worked from home all the time before the COVID-19 outbreak, according to retrospective 2024 responses.[37]
  • Across U.S. workers with teleworkable jobs, 32% worked from home all the time in October 2024.[37]
  • Across U.S. workers with teleworkable jobs, 43% worked from home most or some of the time in October 2024.[37]

Hybrid Work in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs, 52% expected hybrid work as their long-term arrangement in May 2026.[38]
  • Among U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs, 6% preferred working on-site when surveyed in November 2025.[38]
  • Among U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs, 54% worked in a hybrid arrangement in August 2026.[38]
  • Among U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs, 61% preferred hybrid work when surveyed in November 2025.[38]

Upskilling in the waste and recycling industry

  • 93% of GreenWaste’s 2024 workforce identified as racial minorities, within a company emphasizing onboarding and internal development programs.[39]
  • 1 internal internship program was expanded by GreenWaste in 2024 to provide training, mentorship and professional-network access to young professionals.[39]

Employee Engagement in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across global employees, 20% were engaged at work in 2025.[38]
  • Across U.S. employees, 17% were actively disengaged at work in 2025.[38]
  • Across U.S. employees, 31% were engaged at work in 2025, compared with 20% globally.[38]
  • At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 81% of employees were positive on the 2024 Employee Engagement Index.[40]
  • At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 84% of employees said in 2024 that they knew what was expected of them on the job.[40]

DEI in the waste and recycling industry

  • 93% of GreenWaste’s workforce identified as racial minorities in 2024.[39]
  • 35% of Reworld’s North American workforce were people of color in 2024.[34]
  • 74% of United States waste-management and remediation-services workers had a high-school education or equivalent, some college, or a bachelor’s degree in 2024.[41]
  • 15.0% of Reworld’s North American workforce were covered by collective-bargaining agreements in 2024.[34]
  • 81.9% of the United States waste-management and remediation-services workforce were men in 2024.[41]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Customer experience is measured through recurring surveys, and WM reported that 92% of customer-satisfaction surveys were sent by email in 2017.

Customer experience in the waste and recycling industry

  • 89% of surveyed Oskaloosa residents were at least somewhat satisfied with their current solid-waste provider in 2022.[42]
  • 76% of surveyed residents were very satisfied with the convenience of their waste-hauler service in Oskaloosa, Iowa, in 2022.[42]
  • 76% of 288 residential respondents rated CR&R’s solid-waste and recycling service positively in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, in 2024.[43]
  • 77% of surveyed residents were very satisfied with their waste hauler’s pickup times in Oskaloosa, Iowa, in 2022.[42]
  • 72% of surveyed residents were very satisfied overall with their waste hauler in Oskaloosa, Iowa, in 2022.[42]

Customer retention in the waste and recycling industry

  • 9.0% was WM’s response rate for its long-running customer survey in 2017.[44]
  • 10,000–12,000 customer surveys per month were received by WM in 2017 to monitor continuing-business and retention-related experience measures.[44]
  • 92% of WM’s customer-satisfaction surveys were sent by email in 2017, supporting recurring feedback from active waste and recycling customers.[44]

Customer acquisition in the waste and recycling industry

  • 412% was the 12-month increase in organic traffic for Texas waste company Frontier Waste Solutions.[45]
  • 30,000-plus monthly website users were recorded for Texas waste company Frontier Waste Solutions after SEO growth from approximately 460 monthly visitors.[45]
  • $360,000 in new revenue came from website leads for Texas waste company Frontier Waste Solutions during its first 12 months of SEO activity.[45]
  • $50,000 of Frontier Waste Solutions’ first-year website-lead revenue was recurring revenue in Texas.[45]
  • 4,161 phone calls were generated through the Google Business Profile of a North Texas waste and dumpster company from October 2025 through April 2026.[46]

Customer loyalty in the waste and recycling industry

  • 94% of respondents had a positive view of their local trash collector in a 2022 U.S. survey.[47]
  • 47% was WM’s customer-loyalty goal achieved in 2017, based on customers giving top scores on key experience questions.[44]
  • 88% of respondents had a positive view of their local waste-management service in a 2022 U.S. survey.[47]
  • 8.27 out of 10 was WM’s average enterprise customer-satisfaction score in 2017, a metric linked to likelihood of continuing business and recommending the company.[44]

Lead generation in the waste and recycling industry

  • 2,877,149 targeted banner impressions were delivered in a waste-management company’s reported display-advertising campaign.[48]
  • 1,473 direct leads were generated by targeted display advertising for a waste-management company in a reported campaign.[48]
  • 15,695 website clicks were generated by targeted banner advertising for a waste-management company in a reported campaign.[48]
  • 181,500 impressions were reported in a local SEO and content case study for Willis Recycling, a Northern California recycling company.[49]
  • 205 to 870 leads was the increase achieved by Bells Waste Disposal in three months after launching a new website and marketing strategy in the United Kingdom.[50]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Brand and customer communications show measurable lift; WM reported 80% brand-value increase since 2019 and incremental sales lifts of 9% and 18% in 2024.

Marketing in the waste and recycling industry

  • 9% was the incremental sales lift from WM’s Phoenix Open paid media among small and medium businesses in 2024.[26]
  • 18% was the incremental sales lift from WM’s Phoenix Open paid media among open-market residential customers in 2024.[26]
  • 80% was WM’s reported increase in brand value since 2019 following sustained marketing and brand investment.[26]
  • 815 education-based social-media posts were published by Rumpke in 2024 to communicate recycling and sustainability information.[51]
  • 50 recycling-information emails were sent by Rumpke to its customer base in 2024.[51]

Digital marketing in the waste and recycling industry

  • 90% of surveyed German waste-management firms accepted customer orders by telephone in a study of digitalization practices.[15]
  • 31% of surveyed German waste-management firms used their own online shops as a sales channel.[15]
  • 93.8% of the 500 largest U.S. waste-management company websites used Google Analytics in CurbWaste’s 2026 technology analysis.[52]
  • 32% of surveyed German waste-management firms used external online shops as a sales channel.[15]
  • 94% of the 500 largest U.S. waste-management company websites integrated Facebook in CurbWaste’s 2026 analysis.[52]

Branding in the waste and recycling industry

  • 63% of U.S. respondents said they were more likely to purchase products from companies using recycled content in products or packaging.[26]
  • 700 basis points was WM’s reported increase in brand awareness from 2023 to 2024 in its purpose-driven brand program.[26]
  • 90% of surveyed Americans reported a positive view of their local waste-management company in WWF research conducted in 2022.[47]
  • 48% of U.S. respondents said a company’s sustainability goals strongly influence purchasing decisions in WM’s 2025 recycling research.[26]
  • 3% of surveyed Americans knew their trash collector’s name and talked with them occasionally in WWF research conducted in 2022.[47]

Social media in the waste and recycling industry

  • 388 posts were published across Bye Bye Mattress social channels during the year ending June 30, 2025.[53]
  • 450,000-plus people were reached by Rumpke’s education-based social-media posts in 2024.[51]
  • 3,647 followers were recorded across Bye Bye Mattress branded channels by June 30, 2025, up 20% from the previous report.[53]
  • 481,000 impressions were generated by Rumpke’s education-based social-media posts in 2024.[51]
  • 4,818 followers were recorded across Mattress Recycling Council branded channels by June 30, 2025, up almost 13% from the previous report.[53]

Influencer Marketing in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 82% of B2B marketers who work with creators globally agreed in 2026 that influencer campaigns are essential for delivering measurable return on investment.[54]
  • 55% of B2B marketers globally were already using influencers in 2025, while another 29% planned to adopt influencer marketing within the following year.[55]
  • 56% of B2B buyers who use creators in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and India relied on creator input during the final buying stage in 2026.[54]
  • 81% of B2B marketers using creators across five markets said in 2026 that reducing creator activity would leave revenue opportunities untapped.[54]
  • 43% of surveyed B2B marketers reported outstanding results from their influencer programs in the 2025 global B2B Influencer Marketing Report.[56]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational performance is monitored via deviations and yields, with median throughput deviations of 11.6% and 0.3% in sensor-based sorting studies.

Process optimization in the waste and recycling industry

  • 11.6% was the median negative throughput deviation for small polymer flakes in a sensor-based sorting study of recycling operations.[57]
  • 0.3% was the median throughput deviation for larger polyethylene chips in a sensor-based sorting study, supporting real-time process monitoring in recycling plants.[57]
  • 500 million pounds of recyclables is the annual processing capacity reported for Rumpke’s Columbus-area recycling center.[13]
  • 2.4% was the median composition deviation for small polymer flakes in a sensor-based sorting study of lightweight packaging waste.[57]
  • 84% of 4.3 million technology assets processed by HPE globally in 2025 were reused, refurbished or resold, according to the company’s Erskine operation.[58]

Operational efficiency in the waste and recycling industry

  • 3.1% was Waste Management’s average yield increase in municipal solid waste landfill operations in 2024.[28]
  • 1.9% was the increase in municipal solid waste volume at municipally owned U.S. landfills during the year through April 2024.[59]
  • 26.7% was Waste Connections’ Eastern segment EBITDA margin in 2024, compared with 25.6% in 2023.[28]
  • 60.7% of Waste Management’s 2024 revenue was operating expenses, down from 61.7% in 2023 as price, efficiency gains and truck deliveries offset inflation.[28]
  • 0.9% was the increase in municipal solid waste volume at privately owned U.S. landfills during the year through April 2024.[59]

Quality management in the waste and recycling industry

  • 67% of German municipal waste was recycled or composted in 2024, the highest national result reported by CEWEP.[60]
  • 48.1% of EU municipal waste was recycled in 2024, including material recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion and preparation for reuse.[10]
  • 43.3% was the average EU preparation-for-reuse and recycling rate for municipal waste under reporting obligations in 2023.[10]
  • 2.4% was the median composition deviation for small polymer flakes in a sensor-based recycling-sorting study.[57]
  • 30.8% was Europe’s 2023 recycling rate for electrical and electronic waste, according to the European Environment Agency.[61]

Supply chain in the waste and recycling industry

  • 111.7 million tonnes of municipal waste were recycled in the EU in 2024, up from 110.0 million tonnes in 2023.[62]
  • 232.4 million tonnes of municipal waste were generated in the EU in 2024, according to Eurostat data summarized by ESWET.[62]
  • 28.8% of reported EU municipal waste composition was biowaste in 2023, the largest category in the municipal waste stream.[10]
  • 6.3% of reported EU municipal waste composition was glass in 2023.[10]
  • 13.9% of reported EU municipal waste composition was paper and cardboard in 2023.[10]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the environmental and waste services sector (sector benchmark)

  • U.S. waste management and remediation services affiliates recorded $3.6 billion in sales to foreign customers in 2021.[63]
  • 40% of companies surveyed globally in 2024 were delegating waste management to specialized partners, while 33% were considering it.[64]
  • 66% of companies surveyed globally in 2024 were outsourcing facilities or utility management.[64]
  • 100% of companies surveyed globally in 2024 were outsourcing at least one element of sustainability management.[64]
  • 56% of companies surveyed globally in 2024 were using performance contracts for sustainability-related services.[64]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing differs by asset type: Texas landfill tipping fees averaged $45.15 per ton in 2024 versus $59.06 per ton at municipal solid-waste processing facilities.

Pricing strategy in the waste and recycling industry

  • $44.75 per ton was the 2022 average municipal solid waste landfill tipping fee in the U.S. Southeast.[40]
  • $53.48 per ton was the average price at municipally owned U.S. landfills through April 2024.[59]
  • $62.28 per ton was the unweighted average U.S. municipal solid waste landfill tipping fee in 2024, up 10% from 2023.[65]
  • $71.56 per ton was the average price at privately owned U.S. landfills through April 2024.[59]
  • $75.92 per ton was the 2022 average municipal solid waste landfill tipping fee in the U.S. Northeast.[40]

Cost reduction in the waste and recycling industry

  • 10.3% of Waste Management’s revenue was selling, general and administrative expense in 2024, compared with 9.4% in 2023.[28]
  • Lower diesel and natural-gas prices contributed to Waste Connections’ 2024 EBITDA-margin improvement, according to its annual filing.[28]
  • $38.4 million was Waste Connections’ 2024 EBITDA increase, reaching $556.4 million.[28]
  • 5.3% was the increase in average municipal-landfill pricing through April 2024, helping offset labor, fuel and compliance costs.[59]
  • 6.0% was the increase in average privately owned landfill pricing through April 2024, according to Waste Business Journal.[59]

Profitability in the waste and recycling industry

  • 31.5% was Waste Connections’ consolidated EBITDA margin in 2023.[28]
  • €44.692 billion was Veolia’s consolidated revenue in 2024.[66]
  • €6.788 billion was Veolia’s consolidated EBITDA in 2024.[66]
  • €1.392 billion was Veolia’s 2024 EBITDA in France and special-waste Europe.[66]
  • 26.7% was Waste Connections’ Eastern segment EBITDA margin in 2024.[28]

Financial planning in the waste and recycling industry

  • $13.383 billion was Waste Management’s operating spending in 2024, representing 60.7% of revenue.[28]
  • €1.113 billion was Veolia’s 2024 net industrial investment in the rest of the world.[66]
  • €2.965 billion was Veolia’s net industrial investment in 2024 after subsidies.[66]
  • €571 million was Veolia’s 2024 net industrial investment in France and special-waste Europe.[66]
  • $556.4 million was Waste Connections’ EBITDA in 2024, up $38.4 million from 2023.[28]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Processing and recovery are reinforced by scale in recycling operations, including 500 million pounds of recyclables annual capacity reported for one center in Columbus.

Product development in the waste and recycling industry

  • 12,924 unique inventions in plastic waste recovery and recycling were identified worldwide from 1971 to 2023.[67]
  • 79% of multi-stage waste solutions were service-based or hybrid models in the analyzed startup dataset.[68]
  • 46,905 waste-management patents were analyzed in a 2026 study covering 16 technology clusters worldwide.[57]
  • 18-fold growth in patenting activity for plastic waste management occurred between 1990 and 2023 worldwide.[67]
  • 44% of international patenting activity in plastic waste management originated in Europe during the three decades to 2023.[67]

Product lifecycle in the waste and recycling industry

  • 9% was the recycled-plastics utilization rate in manufactured plastic products worldwide in 2023.[69]
  • 300 million tonnes of post-consumer plastic waste were generated worldwide in 2023.[69]
  • 71% of global plastic waste was environmentally sound managed in 2023.[69]
  • 51 million tonnes of post-consumer plastic waste were collected for recycling worldwide in 2023.[69]
  • 22% of e-waste generated worldwide was formally collected and recycled in 2022.[70]

After-sales in the waste and recycling industry

  • 35% fewer missed collections were reported after Routeware implementation across 240,000 Dallas households and 156 routes.[16]
  • 30% fewer major truck repairs were achieved through telematics-supported predictive maintenance in Atlanta.[16]
  • 89 vehicles served Atlanta’s waste and recycling operation covering 100,000 households.[16]
  • $2.5 million in annual maintenance and repair costs were saved by Atlanta through predictive vehicle maintenance.[16]
  • $6.5 million was Atlanta’s annual maintenance and repair expense after telematics-supported predictive maintenance, down from $9.0 million.[16]

Value proposition in the waste and recycling industry

  • $1.576 billion in 2024 gross operating revenue came from WM’s Recycling Processing and Sales segment.[28]
  • 50% was the approximate 2024 increase in WM’s single-stream recycled-commodity prices.[28]
  • 16 million-plus tonnes of post-consumer material are managed annually by WM, making it North America’s largest recycler.[17]
  • 60% of manufacturing companies in the Republic Services circularity survey did not divert more than 60% of their waste, while nearly one-quarter did divert more than 60%.[71]
  • 100 million-plus tonnes of waste are managed annually by WM across North America.[17]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability outcomes are quantified alongside operations, including EU municipal waste recycling at 48.1% in 2024 and EU per-capita municipal waste at 517 kilograms.

Sustainability in the waste and recycling industry

  • 1 million short tons of compost were processed by Republic Services in 2024.[72]
  • 517 kilograms of municipal waste per person were generated in the EU in 2024.[10]
  • 42.0% of waste treated in the EU was recycled in 2024, including major mineral waste.[10]
  • 1,697 kilograms of waste per person were generated in the EU in 2024, excluding major mineral waste.[10]
  • 765 million tonnes of waste were generated in the EU in 2024, excluding major mineral waste.[10]

ESG in the waste and recycling industry

  • 467 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per million euros was Veolia’s 2024 Scope 1 and 2 revenue carbon intensity.[66]
  • 66,906 kilotonnes of total location-based greenhouse-gas emissions were reported by Veolia in 2024.[66]
  • 76% of WM’s Scope 1 emissions were covered by emissions-reporting regulations in 2025.[22]
  • 37% was Republic Services’ reduction in total fleet emissions between 2017 and 2024.[25]
  • 45,834 kilotonnes of Scope 3 greenhouse-gas emissions were reported by Veolia in 2024.[66]

Ethics in the waste and recycling industry

  • 100% of WM employees were trained annually in 2022, according to the company’s sustainability report.[73]
  • 48,348 employees were reported by WM in its 2022 sustainability report.[73]
  • 80.3% of WM employees were hourly workers in 2022.[73]
  • 19.7% of WM employees were salaried workers in 2022.[73]
  • 13 times WM had been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by 2022.[74]

CSR in the waste and recycling industry

  • 61,700 full-time employees were employed by WM across the United States, Canada, Western Europe and India at December 31, 2024.[73]
  • 17,629 tons of food were recovered by local organizations in Hamilton County in 2024.[13]
  • 7,400 WM employees were located outside the United States at December 31, 2024.[73]
  • 54,300 WM employees were located in the United States at December 31, 2024.[73]
  • 29 million meals were represented by food recovered in Hamilton County in 2024.[13]

Circular economy in the waste and recycling industry

  • 1.3% was Romania’s circular material use rate in 2024.[10]
  • 23.4% was the EU circularity rate for metal ores in 2024.[10]
  • 14.3% was the EU circularity rate for non-metallic minerals in 2024.[10]
  • 9.9% was the EU circularity rate for biomass in 2024.[10]
  • 22.7% was Belgium’s circular material use rate in 2024.[10]

Carbon footprint in the waste and recycling industry

  • 14,969,500 metric tons of Scope 1 greenhouse-gas emissions were reported by WM in 2024.[22]
  • 13,608,508 metric tons were Republic Services’ total Scope 1 greenhouse-gas emissions in 2024.[72]
  • 6,901,294 metric tons were Republic Services’ biogenic emissions in 2024.[72]
  • 132,000 metric tons of market-based Scope 2 greenhouse-gas emissions were reported by WM in 2024.[22]
  • 307,900 metric tons of location-based Scope 2 greenhouse-gas emissions were reported by WM in 2024.[22]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Cross-border materials movement remains material, with 31.6 million metric tons of recycled materials exported from the United States in 2024 worth $28.1 billion.

Globalization in the waste and recycling industry

  • TOMRA Recycling generated €266 million in revenue in 2024 across Europe, North America and other global markets.[24]
  • 13.9 million metric tons of recycled iron and steel worth $5.6 billion were exported from the United States in 2024.[79]
  • 31.6 million metric tons of recycled materials worth $28.1 billion were exported from the United States to more than 100 countries in 2024.[79]
  • Waste-treatment and depollution services exports declined 5.9% in 2020 among reporting countries.[63]
  • 4.1 million metric tons of recycled nonferrous metals worth $10.2 billion were exported from the United States in 2024.[79]

Cultural adaptation in the waste and recycling industry

  • 29% of rural Michigan residents reported rarely or never participating in available recycling programs in 2023.[80]
  • 40% of Michigan residents said they would drive more than 10 minutes to reach a recycling drop-off facility in 2023.[80]
  • 53% of Michigan residents reported access to curbside recycling at their primary residence in 2023.[80]
  • 79% of Michigan residents reported access to at least one type of recycling service in 2023.[80]
  • 48% of Michigan residents said they recycled all or most of the time in 2023.[80]

Supplier management in the waste and recycling industry

  • Landbell Group’s producer-responsibility organizations had collected more than 10 million tonnes of batteries, electronics and packaging by 2024.[32]
  • Republic Services generated $409 million from recycling processing and commodity sales in 2024.[25]
  • WM operated 113 recycling facilities in the United States and Canada at December 31, 2025, including 51 single-stream facilities.[26]
  • WM added 545,000 tons of annual recycling capacity in 2024.[22]
  • CARBIOS and Landbell Group’s partnership contributed 15,000 tonnes per year of PET flakes to CARBIOS’s sourcing roadmap in 2024.[32]

Stakeholder management in the waste and recycling industry

  • 66% to 68% of Michigan residents and local officials agreed recycling was worth the effort in 2023.[80]
  • 92% of Michigan local governments said waste collection was somewhat or very important to their communities in 2021.[80]
  • 86% of Michigan local governments said recycling was somewhat or very important to their communities in 2021.[80]
  • SUEZ managed 1.03 million tonnes of waste annually for Greater Manchester under contracts extended through 2034.[81]
  • More than one million households across nine Greater Manchester boroughs were covered by SUEZ waste and recycling contracts in 2024.[81]

Distribution channels in the waste and recycling industry

  • Recycling processing and commodity sales generated $433 million, or 2.6% of Republic Services’ revenue, in 2025.[25]
  • Transfer services generated $848 million, or 5.1% of Republic Services’ revenue, in 2025.[25]
  • Environmental solutions generated $1.766 billion, or 10.6% of Republic Services’ revenue, in 2025.[25]
  • 67.7% of Republic Services’ revenue came from collection services in 2025.[25]
  • Large-container collection generated $3.098 billion for Republic Services in 2025.[25]

Key questions about the Waste and Recycling Industry

What is the global market size for waste and recycling in 2026?
The global waste management market is estimated at $1.6T in 2026.
How fast is the waste and recycling market expected to grow after 2026?
The global waste management market is forecast to grow from $1.6T in 2026 to $2.4T in 2033, a 6.0% CAGR.
Which companies lead the waste and recycling industry?
Paprec leads Gitnux's 2026 waste and recycling ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with processed millions of tonnes across its network. Waste Connections is the highest-ranked waste collection operator at 8.5, with serves about nine million customers across 46 US states and six Canadian provinces.
What technology shifts are showing up in waste and recycling operations?
AI-enabled sorting systems can support high throughput, including 700 items per minute in Amsterdam, and automation can run 24 hours per day at material-recovery facilities.
How is the market structured across services and infrastructure?
The industry spans collection, landfill disposal, recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, waste-to-energy, and hazardous-waste treatment.
What pricing signals matter for disposal versus processing?
Texas reported $45.15 per ton for municipal solid-waste landfill tipping fees and $59.06 per ton at municipal solid-waste processing facilities (2024).
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Nathan Caldwell. (2026, February 13). Waste And Recycling Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/waste-and-recycling-industry-statistics
MLA
Nathan Caldwell. "Waste And Recycling Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/waste-and-recycling-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Nathan Caldwell. 2026. "Waste And Recycling Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/waste-and-recycling-industry-statistics.

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