State of Recycling 2026

This is the nation's leading resource on the U.S. residential recycling system, released in phased installments and grounded in data from 9,000+ recycling programs serving 97% of the U.S. population.

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Where the U.S. Recycling System Stands and What It Will Take to Move It Forward

The Recycling Partnership’s State of Recycling Report draws on the National Recycling Database, multi-year field measurement studies, capture rate analyses, and the Recycling Confidence Index to produce the most comprehensive, data-driven assessment available of actual U.S. residential recycling performance.

This year, we’re releasing the report in phased installments. Each one examines a specific dimension of the system, grounded in current data and built for the people closest to the work: brands, supply chain partners, policymakers, community leaders, and recycling professionals.

Packaging design, household access, resident participation, processing infrastructure, and end-market demand remain disconnected in too many places. This report maps those disconnections, tracks where momentum is building, and identifies what coordinated action can unlock.

Five Requirements That Must Work Together

For recycling to function at a national scale, five requirements must be met simultaneously. Fall short on one, and the others underperform.

1. Packaging must be recyclable
2. All households must have access
3. Residents must fully engage
4. Facilities must process material effectively
5. End markets must be sufficient and resilient

Future installments will examine these requirements in depth. The introduction assesses all five at a summary level and frames the current state of the system.

Now Available

Part One: Setting the Stage

Initial Observations of the U.S. Recycling System | June 2026

The opening installment establishes where the recycling system stands today. It profiles accelerating MRF modernization, EPR implementation across seven states, and new Recycling Confidence Index findings alongside the structural challenges limiting progress: weakening voluntary commitments, volatile end-market demand, and a widening gap between packaging innovation and circular-economy investment.

Four Things Are Clear

The Five Requirements are Interdependent

Recycling system performance depends on all five requirements working together—progress in one area cannot overcome gaps in another.

The System Lacks Economic Foundation

Without strong demand alongside complementary policy, recycling system improvements risk increasing supply without creating lasting outcomes.

EPR Represents a Significant Advance

EPR creates a stronger foundation for recycling, but realizing its full potential depends on prioritizing household participation alongside system improvements.

Outcomes are Tied to Public Trust

Lasting progress requires a recycling system that strengthens public confidence, sustains participation over time, and consistently delivers on the promise of recycling.

Up Next

2026 State of Recycling Part Two: Household Generation

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About This Report

The State of Recycling Report is produced by The Recycling Partnership. It draws on the National Recycling Database, multi-year field studies, and the Recycling Confidence Index. The Partnership has spent more than 12 years working across the U.S. recycling system with communities, companies, and policymakers. This report reflects that depth: insight from inside the system, not outside analysis.

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