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Pounds Recovered
By Destination
% of Total Recovered
U.S. Sourced Post-consumer Plastic % of Total Recovered for Recycling in 2022
Bottles continued to make up the majority of the post-consumer plastic recovered for recycling at 55.5 percent, down from 56.8 percent in 2021. Non-bottle Rigids and Film follow Bottles and account for roughly 22 percent each.
Bottles In 2022, U.S. sourced post-consumer bottles recovered for recycling in the U.S. totaled 2,784 million pounds, down by 107.1 million pounds with all bottle categories decreasing. The amount of plastic resin generated for use in U.S. bottles increased by 120.5 million pounds to 9,996.6 million pounds in 2022. The increase was due to an increase in PET used to produce bottles that was partially offset by a decrease in resin used for HDPE Bottles. The 2022 bottle recycling rate was 27.8 percent, down from 29.3 percent in 2021.15 PET and HDPE bottles continue to make up the vast majority of bottles produced and recovered for recycling in the U.S.
North American reclaimers continued to purchase the majority of the plastic bottles recovered for recycling in the U.S. at 97.1 percent in 2022.
Overseas export represented 2.9 percent of the total bottles recovered for recycling at 79.9 million pounds in 2022, up from 68.1 million pounds in 2021.
U.S. PET and HDPE Bottle reclamation capacities were consistent with 2021. End use markets for recycled PET bottles continue to be bottles (food & beverage and non-food), fiber and other non-bottle end uses (sheet & film, strapping and other). The vast majority of Natural HDPE Bottles went into new bottles; pipe was another notable end use, along with plastic lumber/decking and lawn/garden products to a lesser degree. The largest end use for Colored HDPE Bottles was pipe, followed by lawn and garden products, with automotive applications, bottles, construction products, plastic lumber/decking and film/sheet as other notable end uses.
14. The majority of the 80.4 million pounds decrease, was due to the application of new bale audit data that reallocated material to other categories, e.g. HDPE non-bottle rigid and PP.
15. The bottle recycling rate figure reported in the previous report was 28.2 percent. The adjusted number is due to a correction to the PET bottle data for 2021. The PET denominator was corrected from 6,737 million pounds to a lower total due to a miscalculation and the recovered for recycling figure increased slightly from 1,931 million pounds, due to material that was misallocated. Other comparisons in the summary are based on updated figures.
Non-bottle Rigids The total amount of U.S. sourced post-consumer non-bottle rigid plastic recovered for recycling in 2022 increased by 40.8 million pounds to 1,111.8 million pounds.16
The majority of U.S. sourced non-bottle rigid plastic is recovered for recycling from commercial source separated or special collection at 67.4 percent in 2022 with the remaining from commingled/other collection at 32.6 percent.
The increase was due in part to the reallocation of material from new and updated bale audit data, and in part to an increase in material further separated by resin from commingled/other collection (e.g., PP Small Rigid Plastic) and commercial material recovered for recycling.
HDPE and PP made up the majority (73.8 percent combined) of non-bottle rigid plastic recovered for recycling with an increase in PP and a decrease in HDPE. PET made up the next largest portion at 13.9 percent in 2022.
Non-bottle rigid plastic reclamation was up approximately 100 million pounds compared to 2021. End uses for recycled non-bottle rigid plastic are highly varied and include automotive products, pallets, crates, buckets, pipe, injection molded containers, plastic lumber/decking, lawn and garden products, other construction items, sheet, railroad ties and other items.
16. Part of the increase in non-bottle rigid plastic in 2022 was due to the application of new bale audit data for HDPE Bottles that reallocated material to other categories, e.g. HDPE non-bottle rigid and PP and updated data for various mixed rigid bale commodities, both further separated by resin and mixed resin.
17. Separated by resin includes plastic from source separated by resin coming from commercial or special collection and further separated by resin from commingled /other collection.
18. See footnote 16
Film In 2022, a total of 1,110.3 million pounds of U.S. sourced post-consumer film was recovered for recycling, up slightly by 4.2 million pounds (0.4 percent) overall in 2022. There was a significant increase in PE Clear Film, the largest individual category increase in 2022 (now 48.1 percent of film recovered for recycling), as well as an increase in PE Agricultural Film. All other categories decreased.
Film reclamation capacity in the U.S. was consistent with 2021. The primary end uses for recycled plastic film are plastic lumber/decking and new film (e.g., bags), followed by sheet, pipe, and other end uses.
Other Plastics (excluding foam) Other Plastics (excluding foam) accounted for 11 million pounds or 0.2 percent of the total. This category more broadly represents fiber, filaments, and other semi-rigid flexible products and packaging not covered under the existing categories. Continued research and increased survey breadth will provide better insight about the materials recycled beyond Bottles, Non-bottle Rigids and Film categories in future reports. Of the 11 million pounds of Other Plastics (excluding foam) recovered for recycling, 15 percent was purchased by reclaimers in North America, and 85 percent was exported overseas. The carpet reported was not included in the total due to limited response. There is a separate CARE 2022 annual study and report by the Carpet America Recovery Effort.
Back to Introduction Source: Stina Inc.
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