Story at a glance
- American households are throwing out 76 percent of their recyclable materials, according to a new report from a recycling nonprofit.
- This is linked to a lack of access to recycling programs and a lack of confidence in recycling among Americans.
- Overall, 43 percent of U.S. households participate in recycling.
Americans are recycling only a fraction of the recyclable materials in their household waste, according to a new report,
The report, from recycling nonprofit The Recycling Partnership, found that U.S. households recycle 21 percent of residential recyclables like paper, cardboard and milk cartons.
On top of this, the report found that 76 percent of these recyclables are lost at the household level, meaning Americans are simply throwing them in the trash.
Last year, The Recycling Partnership released a similar report on the recycling rates in U.S. homes.
In that report, the nonprofit determined that a lack of access to local recycling programs and a lack of confidence in recycling’s efficacy were the main drivers behind Americans’ poor recycling habits.
In the 2024 report, the nonprofit discovered that household recycling rates vary by state based on whether households had access to a recycling service — either curbside or drop-off.
Utah has the highest recycling program participation rate at 70 percent, according to the report.
Nevada, Colorado and Arizona also have high recycling program participation rates, hovering around 68 percent.
Nationally, 43 percent of all households participate in recycling, the report found.
But just because a state has high recycling participation does not mean its programs are capturing the most recyclable materials. There are over 9,000 recycling programs in the U.S., each with its own standards regarding what materials can be collected.
Participation is essential to changing recycling numbers, though, the report noted.
“Many households do not participate to the fullest extent possible,” it states, noting that just 59 percent of households with access to recycling use their service.
“In an effective system,” the report said, “at least 90 percent of households would participate.”
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