The residential packaging and printed paper stream is changing. State of Recycling: The Evolving Ton uses residential generation data to understand what households generate, how the mix of that material is changing, and what those shifts mean for the U.S. residential recycling system.
U.S. households generate roughly 705 pounds of traditionally collected recyclable materials plus film and flexibles each year, but generation by weight per household is declining.
In this webinar, we explored how residentially generated packaging and printed paper is becoming lighter, more varied, and more operationally complex to manage. We connected these shifts to collection, processing, material markets, and end markets, and examined what they mean for effective programs, EPR obligations, and investments that can recover more material.
Because what households discard ultimately becomes part of a larger supply chain, these changes have implications well beyond the recycling bin. Recovering more recyclable material can provide domestic feedstock for new products, strengthen U.S. manufacturing supply chains, support jobs and economic activity, and reduce the loss of valuable material to disposal. Understanding the evolving material mix can help identify where investment is needed to build a more resilient recycling and manufacturing system.
Join us in turning insights into the action needed to align investments, accelerate material recovery, strengthen domestic supply chains, and support U.S. manufacturing. Contact us today!
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