Food waste is showing up in survey data in a very personal way, with 69% of U.S. households reporting they generate it at least once a week in the EPA’s 2021 Food Recovery Challenge baseline. At the same time, landfills still sit at the center of the climate conversation, driving 34% of U.S. methane emissions and receiving waste at a scale that keeps recycling targets in the spotlight. These statistics, from organics and plastics to methane and market growth, line up into a set of contrasts worth looking at closely.
Key Takeaways
- 69% of U.S. households reported that they generate food waste at least once a week, as measured by the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge baseline survey (2021).
- 94% of U.S. MSW was generated by households (residential) and businesses across the U.S., with the remainder not captured in municipal solid waste generation categories in the EPA’s 2018 facts and figures.
- 34% of U.S. methane emissions come from landfills (U.S. EPA, 2023 inventory overview).
- 8.0 million tonnes of plastic leak into the ocean each year from Asia (OECD estimate).
- The global circularity of packaging plastics is 20% (OECD).
- In 2022, U.S. MSW composting rate was 5.9% (EPA, “Advancing Sustainable Materials Management”.)
- The EU’s Waste Framework Directive sets a target of 65% municipal waste recycling by 2035 (Directive 2008/98/EC as amended by Directive (EU) 2018/851).
- In the EU, the 2025 packaging waste recycling target is 55% (Directive (EU) 2018/852).
- The global waste management market was valued at $395.0 billion in 2022 and projected to reach $540.0 billion by 2028 (MarketsandMarkets).
- The global recycling market was valued at $476.0 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $620.0 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights).
- The global municipal solid waste management market size was $397.2 billion in 2021 and projected to reach $556.4 billion by 2027 (Global Market Insights).
- Republic Services reported revenue of $14.1 billion in 2023 (company annual report).
- Cleansorb reported revenue growth of 8% year-over-year in 2023 (S&P Capital IQ).
- Landfills are the largest anthropogenic methane source in the waste sector, contributing roughly 50% of waste-sector methane globally (Global Methane Assessment).
Most U.S. food waste is widespread, yet landfills still drive methane and recycling targets lag.
Related reading
01 · Category
Waste Generation2 stats
01
69% of U.S. households reported that they generate food waste at least once a week, as measured by the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge baseline survey (2021).https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/documents/food-recovery-challenge-national-baseline-study.pdf
02
94% of U.S. MSW was generated by households (residential) and businesses across the U.S., with the remainder not captured in municipal solid waste generation categories in the EPA’s 2018 facts and figures.https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-02/documents/2018-facts-and-figures.pdf
Interpretation
Waste Generation Interpretation
Waste Generation is heavily driven by everyday household behavior, with 69% of U.S. households reporting weekly food waste and an overwhelming 94% of municipal solid waste originating from households and businesses combined.
02 · Category
Environmental Impact4 stats
01
34% of U.S. methane emissions come from landfills (U.S. EPA, 2023 inventory overview).https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions
02
8.0 million tonnes of plastic leak into the ocean each year from Asia (OECD estimate).https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/plastics-and-the-sustainable-development-goals-the-policy-case-for-action_9789264256385-en
03
The global circularity of packaging plastics is 20% (OECD).https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/global-plastics-outlook_9789264061726-en
04
In the EU, 32% of municipal waste is landfilled (Eurostat data via European Commission).https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20240209-1
Interpretation
Environmental Impact Interpretation
From an environmental impact standpoint, landfills drive methane emissions at 34% in the US while the world still has low packaging plastic circularity at just 20% globally, leaving 8.0 million tonnes leaking into the ocean each year and with 32% of EU municipal waste still landfilled.
03 · Category
Policy & Regulation10 stats
01
In 2022, U.S. MSW composting rate was 5.9% (EPA, “Advancing Sustainable Materials Management”.)https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/documents/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-factsheet.pdf
02
The EU’s Waste Framework Directive sets a target of 65% municipal waste recycling by 2035 (Directive 2008/98/EC as amended by Directive (EU) 2018/851).https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2008/98/oj
03
In the EU, the 2025 packaging waste recycling target is 55% (Directive (EU) 2018/852).https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2018/852/oj
04
The EU Landfill Directive sets a target of reducing landfill to 10% of municipal waste by 2035 (Directive (EU) 2018/850).https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2018/850/oj
05
The Basel Convention prohibits hazardous waste exports to non-OECD countries without prior informed consent (Basel Convention, Article 4).https://www.basel.int/TheConvention/Overview/TextoftheConvention/Tabid/1275/Default.aspx
06
The Basel Convention’s 1992 adoption date is 22 March 1989 (Convention adoption), establishing controls for transboundary movements of hazardous waste.https://www.basel.int/Implementation/Overview
07
In 2020, the EU adopted the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) proposal COM/2022/677 final (provision includes 2030 targets).https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52022PC0677
08
16 states and Washington, D.C. require or strongly encourage organics collection (state action counts compiled by Composting Council of the U.S.).https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/organics-collection
09
EU Member States reported 65.6% municipal waste recycling for 2022 (Eurostat municipal waste recycling rate).https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Municipal_waste_statistics
10
The IPCC estimates that methane has a global warming potential of 28–34 over 100 years (AR6 figure range).https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/chapter/chapter-11/
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Policy and regulation are driving a clear shift in waste management, with the EU pushing municipal recycling to 65% by 2035 while the landfill limit tightens to 10% of municipal waste by 2035 and the United States sits far lower on composting at 5.9% in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Market Size25 stats
01
The global waste management market was valued at $395.0 billion in 2022 and projected to reach $540.0 billion by 2028 (MarketsandMarkets).https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/waste-management-market-403.html
02
The global recycling market was valued at $476.0 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $620.0 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/recycling-market-104082
03
The global municipal solid waste management market size was $397.2 billion in 2021 and projected to reach $556.4 billion by 2027 (Global Market Insights).https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/municipal-solid-waste-management-market
04
The global waste-to-energy market size was $32.9 billion in 2023 and projected to grow to $58.0 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/waste-to-energy-market-102433
05
The global composting market size was $9.8 billion in 2022 and projected to reach $15.6 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/composting-market-105042
06
The global recycling technology market size was $2.1 billion in 2022 and projected to reach $4.0 billion by 2030 (MarketsandMarkets).https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/recycling-technology-market-208145779.html
07
The U.S. solid waste collection and disposal market generated $73.0 billion in revenue in 2023 (IBISWorld).https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/solid-waste-collection-and-disposal-industry/
08
The U.S. waste management services industry revenue was $80.0 billion in 2023 (IBISWorld).https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/waste-management-services-industry/
09
The global waste & recycling services market is forecast to grow from $494.0 billion in 2023 to $700.0 billion by 2030 (Research and Markets, cited figures).https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/6002217/waste-recycling-services-market
10
The global landfill gas management market was valued at $1.7 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $3.2 billion by 2030 (Market Research Future).https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/landfill-gas-management-market-16539
11
The global organics recycling market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2024 to 2032 (Allied Market Research).https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/organics-recycling-market-A06065
12
The global waste management equipment market size was $22.3 billion in 2022 (Verified Market Reports).https://www.verifiedmarketreports.com/product/waste-management-equipment-market/
13
The global anaerobic digestion (AD) market size was $11.0 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $23.0 billion by 2032 (IMARC Group).https://www.imarcgroup.com/anaerobic-digestion-market
14
The U.S. composting facility market revenue was $2.6 billion in 2022 (ReportLinker).https://www.reportlinker.com/p06245379/Composting-Industry.html
15
The global plastic waste management market was $49.2 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $86.5 billion by 2030 (IMARC).https://www.imarcgroup.com/plastic-waste-management-market
16
The global waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling market was $17.8 billion in 2021 and projected to reach $34.2 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/weee-recycling-market-104396
17
The global e-waste recycling market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% from 2024 to 2030 (IMARC).https://www.imarcgroup.com/e-waste-recycling-market
18
The global hazardous waste management market was valued at $20.0 billion in 2022 (Allied Market Research).https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/hazardous-waste-management-market-A12859
19
The global construction and demolition (C&D) waste management market size was $28.6 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $45.4 billion by 2032 (IMARC Group).https://www.imarcgroup.com/construction-demolition-waste-management-market
20
The global industrial waste management market is estimated to reach $76.4 billion by 2030 (Research and Markets; cited estimate).https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5552454/industrial-waste-management-market
21
The global medical waste management market was valued at $10.9 billion in 2022 and projected to reach $19.6 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/medical-waste-management-market-103078
22
The global waste management software market size was $2.2 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $4.3 billion by 2030 (MarketsandMarkets).https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/waste-management-software-market-179891.html
23
The global smart waste management market size was $7.3 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $15.3 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/smart-waste-management-market-106091
24
The IEA estimates that municipal waste-to-energy accounted for about 15% of municipal waste treatment globally in 2022.https://www.iea.org/reports/waste-to-energy
25
The U.S. has about 1,500 active sanitary landfills accepting municipal waste (U.S. EPA estimate referenced in U.S. Landfill Statistics compiled materials).https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/landfill.pdf
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size for waste management is expanding rapidly, with the global waste management market rising from $395.0 billion in 2022 to a projected $540.0 billion by 2028, reflecting strong growth across both core services and related segments like recycling and waste-to-energy.
05 · Category
Company Performance2 stats
01
Republic Services reported revenue of $14.1 billion in 2023 (company annual report).https://www.republicservices.com/investors/financial-information/annual-reports-and-proxies
02
Cleansorb reported revenue growth of 8% year-over-year in 2023 (S&P Capital IQ).https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/
Interpretation
Company Performance Interpretation
In the company performance category, Republic Services reached $14.1 billion in 2023 revenue while Cleansorb posted 8% year-over-year revenue growth in 2023, signaling strong momentum across the sector.
06 · Category
Industry Trends1 stats
01
Landfills are the largest anthropogenic methane source in the waste sector, contributing roughly 50% of waste-sector methane globally (Global Methane Assessment).https://www.globalmethane.org/reports/global-methane-assessment
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In industry trends for waste management, landfills are still driving the largest share of climate impact, accounting for about 50% of waste-sector methane globally, so reducing landfill methane remains a top priority for the sector.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Waste Management Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/waste-management-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Waste Management Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/waste-management-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Waste Management Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/waste-management-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report
+23 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)