2022 Plastic Recycling Data

2025-04-29 2022 Plastic Recycling Data, intro
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Introduction
Pounds Recovered
By Destination
% of Total Recovered

Introduction
The studies contributing data to this report on United States (U.S.) sourced post-consumer1 plastic recovered for recycling in 2022 include the continuation of the 33rd annual study on plastic Bottles, the 18th on Film, the 16th on Non-bottle Rigids, and the fourth study including Other Plastics (excluding foam).2 This report covers U.S. sourced plastic both reclaimed in North America and exported overseas.3This report is a technical summary of the study findings. The summary provides an overview of the post-consumer plastic recycling in 2022 by major category.

Recycling rates for bottles are detailed in this report. Recycling rates are not available for categories beyond Bottles for the 2022 report; there is work underway to explore the data, collaboration and resources needed to provide recycling rates for other plastic categories in future reports. The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) conducts a separate survey of PET bottle reclaimers. In collaboration, Stina provided the PET Bottle export data to NAPCOR and NAPCOR provided data for the PET Bottle section of this report, including PET bottles generated and recovered for recycling in the U.S. NAPCOR data from PET reclaimers also contributes to the PET non-bottle rigid data detailed in this report. A detailed report on PET is available from NAPCOR. Virgin resin data for HDPE, PP, LDPE and PVC bottles was provided by the American Chemistry Councils Plastic Industry Producers Statistics (PIPS) Group and was utilized in the calculation for the bottle recycling rate. The 2022 Study, conducted by Stina Inc., was made possible by those who respond to the survey, through collaboration with NAPCOR, as stated above, as well as the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), and through funding from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), the U.S. Plastics Pact and ISRI.
Additional Information
The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) is an international non-profit and the only North American organization focused exclusively on improving recycling for plastics. APRs tools & resources help companies design packaging that can be recycled, support innovations that overcome existing recycling challenges, and encourage stable and reliable markets for post-consumer recycled content.. Visit www.PlasticsRecycling.org for more information.
The U.S. Plastics Pact brings together businesses, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and research institutions that work together toward a common vision of a circular economy for plastics, as outlined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundations New Plastics Economy Initiative. This vision aims to ensure that plastics never become waste by eliminating the plastics we dont need, innovating to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and circulating all the plastic items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment. Visit www.usplasticspact.org for more information.
ISRI is the Voice of the Recycled Materials Industry™ representing more than 1,700 companies in the U.S. and 40 countries around the globe. Based in Washington, D.C., ISRI provides advocacy, education, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycled materials play in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. Visit www.isri.org for more information.
Stina Inc., previously d.b.a. More Recycling, is a mission-based research and technology company with recognized expertise in plastic recycling. Stina has conducted the annual plastic recycling study for over 10 years for the United States and Canada. Confidentiality and neutrality are the cornerstones to this research, analysis, and reporting. Stina supports the recycling industry by creating tools that support greater connectivity and recognition of leaders in circularity. Such tools include www.PlasticsMarkets.org and www.RecycledProductsDirectory.org, which can be found on www.CircularityinAction.com, a platform designed to connect users with the relevant tools to support the transition to circularity, provide opportunities to recognize successes in recycling, and share the state of recycling in the public domain. To see previous year reports, please visit the News and Media Page on StinaInc.com.
Disclaimer
The contents of this summary of the 2022 U.S. Post-consumer Plastics Recycling Data Study are provided for general informational purposes only and should be cited with the year and name of the report with Stina Inc. specified as the source. Although the information contained in this document has been produced and processed from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability, or usefulness of any information contained in the report, and this information is provided on an "as is" basis. NO WARRANTIES ARE GIVEN; ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED. The funding organizations and Stina Inc. do not assume any liability resulting from the use of or reliance upon any information, conclusions, or options contained herein.

1. Throughout this report, the term post-consumer refers to plastics that have been used for their intended purpose by consumers and businesses. Commercial materials that have met their intended use are often recovered outside of curbside or drop-off collection programs and include items such as totes, pallets, crates, stretch wrap, poly bags and other commercial packaging. This report does not cover the recycling of post-industrial (pre-consumer) materials, which the U.S. EPA defines as materials that are generated in manufacturing and conversion processes, such as scrap and trimmings. 2. In the context of this report, plastic recovered for recycling refers to the gross pounds of post-consumer plastic commodities (baled or otherwise consolidated) acquired by markets for recycling. See the methodology for an explanation of the use of bale audit data to break out baled commodities by resin and product type. 3. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as distinct from material exported overseas, are the main North American destinations for U.S. sourced recycled plastic and are referred to as North America in this report. 4. EPS-IA has historically conducted a PS Foam survey and provides a public report.
Methodology, Data Gaps and Assumptions
Findings Source: Stina Inc.
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Introduction

The studies contributing data to this report on United States (U.S.) sourced post-consumer¹ plastic recovered for recycling in 2022 include the continuation of the 33rd annual study on plastic Bottles, the 18th on Film, the 16th on Non-bottle Rigids, and the fourth study including Other Plastics (excluding foam).² This report covers U.S. sourced plastic both reclaimed in North America and exported overseas.³This report is a technical summary of the study findings.

The summary provides an overview of the post-consumer plastic recycling in 2022 by major category.

•

Bottles are detailed by resin due to the larger percentage of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles generated and recovered for recycling, as well as to provide continuity from previous reports.

•

Non-bottle Rigids are detailed by resin including PET, HDPE, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), LDPE (low-density polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PS (polystyrene) and Other resin (e.g., polycarbonate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), in the Non-bottle Rigids section.

•

Film plastic recovered for recycling is primarily PE (polyethylene), but there is a Non-PE film category reported and included in the total.

•

Other Plastics (excluding foam) includes wovens, non-wovens and other flexible products and packaging that are not included in any of the other major categories above. Foam is not currently covered in this report although the survey does include questions about foam.⁴

Recycling rates for bottles are detailed in this report. Recycling rates are not available for categories beyond Bottles for the 2022 report; there is work underway to explore the data, collaboration and resources needed to provide recycling rates for other plastic categories in future reports.

The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) conducts a separate survey of PET bottle reclaimers. In collaboration, Stina provided the PET Bottle export data to NAPCOR and NAPCOR provided data for the PET Bottle section of this report, including PET bottles generated and recovered for recycling in the U.S. NAPCOR data from PET reclaimers also contributes to the PET non-bottle rigid data detailed in this report. A detailed report on PET is available from NAPCOR. Virgin resin data for HDPE, PP, LDPE and PVC bottles was provided by the American Chemistry Councils Plastic Industry Producers Statistics (PIPS) Group and was utilized in the calculation for the bottle recycling rate.

The 2022 Study, conducted by Stina Inc., was made possible by those who respond to the survey, through collaboration with NAPCOR, as stated above, as well as the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), and through funding from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), the U.S. Plastics Pact and ISRI.

Additional Information

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) is an international non-profit and the only North American organization focused exclusively on improving recycling for plastics. APRs tools & resources help companies design packaging that can be recycled, support innovations that overcome existing recycling challenges, and encourage stable and reliable markets for post-consumer recycled content.. Visit www.PlasticsRecycling.org for more information.

The U.S. Plastics Pact brings together businesses, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and research institutions that work together toward a common vision of a circular economy for plastics, as outlined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundations New Plastics Economy Initiative. This vision aims to ensure that plastics never become waste by eliminating the plastics we dont need, innovating to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and circulating all the plastic items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment. Visit www.usplasticspact.org for more information.

ISRI is the Voice of the Recycled Materials Industry™ representing more than 1,700 companies in the U.S. and 40 countries around the globe. Based in Washington, D.C., ISRI provides advocacy, education, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycled materials play in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. Visit www.isri.org for more information.

Stina Inc., previously d.b.a. More Recycling, is a mission-based research and technology company with recognized expertise in plastic recycling. Stina has conducted the annual plastic recycling study for over 10 years for the United States and Canada. Confidentiality and neutrality are the cornerstones to this research, analysis, and reporting. Stina supports the recycling industry by creating tools that support greater connectivity and recognition of leaders in circularity. Such tools include www.PlasticsMarkets.org and www.RecycledProductsDirectory.org, which can be found on www.CircularityinAction.com, a platform designed to connect users with the relevant tools to support the transition to circularity, provide opportunities to recognize successes in recycling, and share the state of recycling in the public domain.

To see previous year reports, please visit the News and Media Page on StinaInc.com.

Disclaimer

The contents of this summary of the 2022 U.S. Post-consumer Plastics Recycling Data Study are provided for general informational purposes only and should be cited with the year and name of the report with Stina Inc. specified as the source. Although the information contained in this document has been produced and processed from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability, or usefulness of any information contained in the report, and this information is provided on an "as is" basis. NO WARRANTIES ARE GIVEN; ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED. The funding organizations and Stina Inc. do not assume any liability resulting from the use of or reliance upon any information, conclusions, or options contained herein.

1. Throughout this report, the term post-consumer refers to plastics that have been used for their intended purpose by consumers and businesses. Commercial materials that have met their intended use are often recovered outside of curbside or drop-off collection programs and include items such as totes, pallets, crates, stretch wrap, poly bags and other commercial packaging. This report does not cover the recycling of post-industrial (pre-consumer) materials, which the U.S. EPA defines as materials that are generated in manufacturing and conversion processes, such as scrap and trimmings.
2. In the context of this report, plastic recovered for recycling refers to the gross pounds of post-consumer plastic commodities (baled or otherwise consolidated) acquired by markets for recycling. See the methodology for an explanation of the use of bale audit data to break out baled commodities by resin and product type.
3. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as distinct from material exported overseas, are the main North American destinations for U.S. sourced recycled plastic and are referred to as North America in this report.
4. EPS-IA has historically conducted a PS Foam survey and provides a public report.

Methodology, Data Gaps and Assumptions

Findings

Source: Stina Inc.

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