Paths to circularity for plastics in the United States

Global plastic waste generation will continue to grow rapidly. In the United States, the vast majority of plastic waste goes to landfills. Local governments, federal agencies, and private companies have set goals for increasing recycling and circularity, but require technical and implementation support to achieve waste reduction objectives. Policy makers, plastic producers, and the waste industry need clear information for existing waste flows, potential sorting and recovery technologies for scaling, and technological barriers for increasing recycling. In this study, we quantify flows of US plastics from production through disposal, finding that less than 7% of waste is recycled. From this baseline material flow, we develop scenarios for reducing waste flows to landfills, increasing recycling, and achieving greater plastics circularity.

In 2019, the United States consumed over 57 million metric tons (MMT) of plastic with less than 7% recovered for reuse. This study provides an updated material flow analysis at national and regional scales for all durable and single-use plastics in the United States. From this material flow analysis, we develop a series of alternative future national plastic flow scenarios that envision a scale-up of recycling technologies, incorporating technical limitations and sorting infrastructure constraints. The results suggest that a maximum of 68% (24 MMT) of plastic waste could be diverted from landfills by scaling up existing commercial recycling technologies. Based on the current technological landscape, reaching near-zero waste is only possible if processes that are operating at pilot and laboratory scales can be effectively scaled and coupled with improved sorting infrastructure. Through these scenarios with increased recycling, the availability of postconsumer resin stocks could increase by 22–43 MMT.