Recycling Partnership report finds US household packaging stream lighter and more complex
The Recycling Partnership has published the second installment of its 2026 State of Recycling Report, based on its National Recycling Database and field measurement studies. The report finds that since 2020 US households have grown by 8.5 million while generation of traditionally collected recyclable material fell 3.7 million tons, or 8 percent, with plastics and cartons rising sharply and mixed paper and glass declining.
Why this mattersA lighter, more plastics-heavy household stream signals recyclers and processors need new sorting and end-market investment to keep pace with packaging design shifts.
- US households grew by about 8.5 million since 2020
- Generation of traditionally collected material fell 3.7 million tons (8 percent) since 2020, excluding film
- Cardboard generation per household rose 32 percent, cartons rose 61 percent, nonbottle PET rose 48 percent, PP rose 47 percent, aluminium foil and trays rose 44 percent, aluminium cans rose 18 percent
- Mixed paper declined 34 percent and glass declined 28 percent per household
- Combined plastics (with film and flexibles) now represent 31 percent of generation, surpassing mixed paper at 28 percent
- US households will generate 51.5 million tons of packaging and printed paper this year, 78 percent within traditionally collected categories
Sources
Recycling Today