Executive Summary Recycling is unique. It starts in the home but feeds a complex reverse supply chain that determines the fate of corporate recycled content and sustainability goals. It only works if everyone can participate and the materials collected can be processed, but recycling is not provided evenly across the U.S., and many packages currently found on store shelves cannot be recycled through residential programs. The plateaued and abysmal national recycling rate makes clear that scaled and systemic intervention is needed. We have the proven solutions to level up the U.S. recycling system, and it is imperative that we do so to meet the demands of both people and the planet, to create sustainable, low-carbon supply chains, and to realize the promises of a circular economy.
40% of Americans Lack Equitable Recycling It is easy to assume that everyone can recycle as easily as they can throw something away. However, approximately 40 million U.S. households still do not have recycling access that is equitable to their trash service. At its most basic level, equitable and informed recycling access means all people living in the U.S. can recycle just as easily as they can throw something away and understand how and when to do so. The recycling system needs dramatic investment to finally, equitably, serve all people and be inclusive of the paper and packaging found in the home.1
What will it cost to make recycling a reality for everyone? A $17 billion investment over five years will transform the U.S. residential recycling system and make it as accessible and as ubiquitous to everyone as trash disposal.
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Over the past decades, many packaging sectors have invested millions, if not billions, in building a better recycling system and that investment is to be commended. This report recognizes the value of the existing capital deployed in the system while also calling for a scaled and systematic investment to address its shortcomings.
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PAYING IT FORWARD: HOW INVESTMENT IN RECYCLING WILL PAY DIVIDENDS
