Recycling

Recycling is the process of gathering, treating and repurposing or recreating materials into a new, usable product.¹ Germany, Austria, South Korea and Wales each recycle between 52 and 56 percent of all municipal waste, and have the highest national recycling rates in the world. Europe as a whole recycles 30 percent of all its plastic waste.² The United States, in comparison, recycles just 9 percent of its plastic waste.³ Every 15 years, plastic production nearly doubles. Of the 8 billion metric tons of plastic produced to date worldwide, 6.3 billion metric tons has become waste.⁴ The sum of wood and paper products discarded each year in the United States would be enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years;⁵ the average U.S. household throws away 13,000 pieces of paper annually.⁶ In one year, recycling in the United States creates 757,000 jobs and $6.7 billion in tax revenue.⁷