Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Recycling Industry Overview
Study Scope
Lifecycle of Plastic
Plastic Recycling Processes & Technology Development
Collection
Sorting Processes
Baling Processes
Shredding & Washing Processes
Technological Developments
Historical Recycled Plastic Trends
Trends in Recycled Content Sources (PCR vs. PIR)
Packaging's Importance to the Recycling Industry
3. Recycled Plastic Supply & Demand
Data Sources & Methodology
Growth Scenarios
Base Case Growth Scenario
Supply & Demand Overview
Plastic Waste Collection Outlook
Recycled Plastic Supply Forecast
Recycled Plastic Demand in Packaging Forecast
Increased Collection Scenario
4. Factors Impacting Plastic Recycling Activity
Plastic Resin Industry Trends
Plastic Pricing Trends
Factors Impacting Virgin vs. Plastic Pricing
Virgin Resins
Recycled Resins
Foreign Trade of Plastic Waste
Plastic Waste Supply & Demand
China's Ban on Waste Imports
Impact of the Basel Convention
Regulatory & Legislative Environment
Federal, State, & Local Government Framework
Container Deposit Laws
Municipal Collection Infrastructure
Solid Waste Management Trends
Food Contact Standards
Plastic Packaging Bans
Alternatives to Plastic Recycling for Sustainability
Bioplastics
Compostable Plastics
Material Substitution
5. Consumers & Plastic Recycling
What is Sustainability to Consumers?
Attitudes About Recycling
Attitudes About Recyclable Packaging & Recycled Content in Packaging
Packaging Materials Ranked by Perceived Eco-Friendliness
Sustainable Packaging Features Particularly Sought by Consumers
Attitudes About Recycling & Biodegradability
COVID-19 Pandemic Household Waste Generation
Curbside Recycling Services: Consumer Access
Drop-Off Recycling Services: Consumer Usage
Frequency of Use: Recycling & Composting Services
Recycling Participation Rates by Material
Plastic Containers Recycling
Glass Containers Recycling
Paper Recycling
Paperboard & Corrugated Recycling
Plastic Film & Bag Recycling
Composting of Packaging
Consumer Attitudes About Paying For Waste Services
Willingness to Pay for Expanded Curbside Recycling & Composting Services
Who Should Pay For Waste Services
6. Public & Private Recycling Initiatives
Public Sector Initiatives
Recycled Content Requirements & Incentives
Plastic Bag & Container Regulations
Private Sector Initiatives & Issues
Labeling & Bale Standards
Collection Initiatives
Extended Producer Responsibility
7. Recycled Plastic Content Targets
Implementation of Recycled Plastic Content Targets
Consumer Packaged Goods Producers
Packaging Suppliers
State Governments & Other Entities
8. Plastic Waste Collection for Recycling
Recycling Collection by Source
Bottles
Collection by Resin
PET
PE (HDPE & LDPE)
PP & Other Resins
Other Rigid Plastic & Foam
Collection by Resin
Packaging
Motor Vehicles
All Other Rigid Plastic & Foam
Carpet & Fiber
Flexible Packaging
9. Recycled Plastic Resins in Packaging
Demand by Resin
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Virgin PET Resin Supply & Demand
Waste PET Collected & Recycled PET Supply
Recycled PET Demand in Packaging by Product
Producers
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
Virgin HDPE Resin Supply & Demand
Waste HDPE Collected & Recycled HDPE Supply
Packaging Demand for Recycled HDPE by Product
Producers
Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE & LLDPE)
Virgin LDPE & LLDPE Resin Supply & Demand
Waste LDPE & LLDPE Collected & Recycled LDPE & LLDPE Supply
Packaging Demand for Recycled LDPE & LLDPE by Product
Producers
Polypropylene (PP) & Other Plastic Resins
Virgin PP & Other Plastic Resins Supply & Demand
Waste PP & Other Plastic Collected & Recycled PP & Other Plastic Supply
Packaging Demand for Recycled PP & Other Plastic by Product
10. Recycled Plastics in Packaging Products
Recycled Plastic Demand in Packaging
Bottles
Demand by Application & Resin
Food & Beverage Bottles
Non-Food Bottles
Other Rigid Plastic Packaging
Flexible Packaging
Demand by Product & Resin
Retail Bags
Trash Bags
Other Flexible Packaging
11. Industry Structure
Industry Participants & Key Findings
Recycled Plastic Processors
Packaging Suppliers
Consumer Packaged Goods Producers
Retailers
12. Appendix
Report Details
Definitions
Abbreviations
Freedonia Methodology
Study-Specific Methodology
Sources
Associations & Agencies
Related Studies & Reports
Macroeconomic Assumptions
Economic Environment
Demographics
Manufacturers' Shipments
List of Tables
2. Recycling Industry Overview
Table 2-1 | Recycled Plastic Market, 2005 - 2020 (million pounds)
3. Recycled Plastic Supply & Demand
Table 3-1 | Recycled Plastic Supply & Demand Base Scenario, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 3-2 | Recycled Plastic Processing & Demand: Increased Collection Scenario, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
4. Factors Impacting Plastic Recycling Activity
Table 4-1 | Plastic Resin Supply & Demand by Type, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 4-2 | Virgin Plastic Resin Average Prices, 2010 - 2030 (dollars per pound)
Table 4-3 | Average Recycled Plastic Resin Prices in Packaging, 2010 - 2030 (dollars per pound)
Table 4-4 | Plastic Waste Supply & Demand, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
5. Consumers & Plastic Recycling
Table 5-1 | Consumer Attitudes About Recycling by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of total respondents who agree with the statements)
Table 5-2 | Consumer Attitudes About Recyclable & Recycled Content in Packaging by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of respondents in agreement with the statements)
Table 5-3 | Consumer Perspectives on the Eco-Friendliness of Packaging Using Conventional Petroleum-Based Plastics by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of total respondents)
Table 5-4 | Consumer Perspectives on the Eco-Friendliness of Packaging Using Plant-Based Bioplastics by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of total respondents)
Table 5-5 | Features Consumers Especially Look for When Considering "Sustainable" or "Eco-Friendly" Packaging by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% total respondents)
Table 5-6 | Consumer Attitudes About Recycled Plastics & Biodegradability by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of total respondents)
Table 5-7 | COVID-19 Pandemic Household Waste Generation Trends by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of respondents in agreement with the statements)
Table 5-8 | Access To Curbside Recycling at Home by Product to Recycle, Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% total respondents)
Table 5-9 | Access To Curbside Composting Services at Home by Type, Gender, Age Group, Rural vs. Urban Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% total respondents)
Table 5-10 | Usage of Drop-Off Recycling Services (at a Store, Community Bin, Waste Management Facility, etc.) in the Last 12 Months by Product, Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of total respondents)
Table 5-11 | Usage of Drop-Off Composting Services (at a Store, Community Bin, Waste Management Facility, etc.) in the Last 12 Months by Product, Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of total respondents)
Table 5-12 | Consumer Frequency of Plastic Container Recycling by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of respondents with access to plastic container recycling services)
Table 5-13 | Consumer Frequency of Glass Container Recycling by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of respondents with access to glass container recycling services)
Table 5-14 | Consumer Frequency of Paper Recycling by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of respondents with access to paper recycling services)
Table 5-15 | Consumer Frequency of Paperboard & Corrugated Recycling by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of respondents with access to paperboard & corrugated recycling services)
Table 5-16 | Consumer Frequency of Plastic Film & Bag Recycling by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of respondents with access to plastic film & bag recycling services)
Table 5-17 | Consumer Frequency of Composting Packaging by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of respondents with access to composting for packaging services)
Table 5-18 | Willingness to Pay for Expanded Curbside Recycling & Composting Services by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of total respondents who agree with the statements)
Table 5-19 | Consumer Opinion on Who Should Pay for Waste Services by Gender, Age Group, Urban vs. Rural Setting, & Annual Household Income Bracket, 2021 (% of respondents in agreement)
7. Recycled Plastic Content Targets
Table 7-1 | Selected Consumer Packaged Goods Producers: Recycled Content Goals
Table 7-2 | Selected Packaging Suppliers: Recycled Content Goals
Table 7-3 | Selected State Governments: Recycled Content Goals
8. Plastic Waste Collection for Recycling
Table 8-1 | Post-Consumer Plastic Waste Collected for Recycling by Source, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 8-2 | Plastic Bottles Collected for Recycling by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 8-3 | Rigid Plastic & Foam Collected for Recycling by Source, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 8-4 | Carpet & Fiber Collected for Recycling by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 8-5 | Flexible Packaging Collected for Recycling by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
9. Recycled Plastic Resins in Packaging
Table 9-1 | Recycled Plastic Demand in Packaging by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds & million dollars)
Table 9-2 | Virgin Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Supply & Demand, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds & billion dollars)
Table 9-3 | PET Waste Collection & Recycled PET Supply, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 9-4 | Recycled PET Demand in Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds & million dollars)
Table 9-5 | Virgin HDPE Supply & Demand, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds & billion dollars)
Table 9-6 | HDPE Waste Collected & Recycled HDPE Supply, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 9-7 | Recycled HDPE Demand in Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds & million dollars)
Table 9-8 | Virgin LDPE & LLDPE Resin Supply & Demand by Resin Type, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds & billion dollars)
Table 9-9 | LDPE & LLDPE Waste Collected & Recycled LDPE & LLDPE Supply, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 9-10 | Recycled LDPE & LLDPE Demand in Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds & million dollars)
Table 9-11 | Virgin Polypropylene (PP) & Other Plastic Supply & Demand by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds & billion dollars)
Table 9-12 | PP & Other Plastic Waste Collected & Recycled PP & Other Plastic Supply, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 9-13 | Recycled PP & Other Plastic Resin Demand in Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds & million dollars)
10. Recycled Plastics in Packaging Products
Table 10-1 | Recycled Plastic Demand in Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 10-2 | Bottles: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Application & Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 10-3 | Food & Beverage Bottles: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Application & Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 10-4 | Non-Food Bottle Demand for Recycled Plastic by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 10-5 | Demand for Recycled Plastic in Other Rigid Plastic Packaging by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 10-6 | Demand for Recycled Plastic in Flexible Packaging by Product & Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 10-7 | Retail Bags: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 10-8 | Trash Bags: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Table 10-9 | Other Flexible Packaging: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
12. Appendix
Table 12-1 | Relevant Industry Codes
Table 12-2 | Relevant HS Codes
Table 12-3 | Relevant NACE Codes
Table 12-4 | Abbreviations Used in the Study
Table 12-5 | Macroeconomic Indicators, 2010 - 2030 (billion 2012 dollars)
Table 12-6 | Population & Households, 2010 - 2030 (million persons)
Table 12-7 | Manufacturers' Shipments, 2010 - 2030 (billion dollars)
List of Figures
1. Executive Summary
Figure 1-1 | US Packaging Market for Recycled Plastics
2. Recycling Industry Overview
Figure 2-1 | Lifecycle of Plastic
Figure 2-2 | Packaging & the Recycling Industry
3. Recycled Plastic Supply & Demand
Figure 3-1 | Recycled Plastic for Packaging Applications Base Scenario, 2020
Figure 3-2 | Packaging Demand for Recycled Plastic: Supply Constrained vs. Non-Supply Constrained Comparison, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
4. Factors Impacting Plastic Recycling Activity
Figure 4-1 | Virgin & Recycled Plastic Resin Price Comparison, 2020 (cents per pound)
5. Consumers & Plastic Recycling
Figure 5-1 | Consumer Perception of the Eco-Friendliness of Packaging Materials, 2021 (% total respondents)
Figure 5-2 | Features Consumers Especially Look for When Considering "Sustainable" or "Eco-Friendly" Packaging, 2021 (% total respondents)
Figure 5-3 | Consumer Recycling Frequency by Type of Packaging, 2021 (% of respondents with access to recycling for each type)
8. Plastic Waste Collection for Recycling
Figure 8-1 | Post-Consumer Plastic Waste Collected for Recycling by Source, 2020 (billion pounds)
Figure 8-2 | Plastic Bottles Collected for Recycling by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 8-3 | PET Bottles Collected for Recycling, 2010 - 2025 (million pounds)
Figure 8-4 | HDPE & LDPE Bottles Collected for Recycling, 2010 - 2025 (million pounds)
Figure 8-5 | PP & Other Bottles Collected for Recycling, 2010 - 2025 (million pounds)
Figure 8-6 | Rigid Plastic & Foam Collected for Recycling by Source, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 8-7 | Rigid Plastic & Foam Packaging Collected for Recycling, 2010 - 2025 (million pounds)
Figure 8-8 | Rigid Plastic & Foam Collected from Motor Vehicles for Recycling, 2010 - 2025 (million pounds)
Figure 8-9 | All Other Rigid Plastic & Foam Collected for Recycling, 2010 - 2025 (million pounds)
Figure 8-10 | Carpet & Fiber Collected for Recycling, 2010 - 2025 (million pounds)
Figure 8-11 | Flexible Packaging Collected for Recycling by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
9. Recycled Plastic Resins in Packaging
Figure 9-1 | Recycled Plastic Demand in Packaging by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-2 | Virgin PET Supply & Demand, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-3 | Waste PET Collected & Recycled PET Supply, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-4 | Recycled PET Demand in Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-5 | Virgin HDPE Supply & Demand, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-6 | HDPE Waste Collected & Recycled HDPE Supply, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-7 | Recycled HDPE Demand in Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-8 | Virgin LDPE & LLDPE Resin Supply & Demand, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-9 | LDPE & LLDPE Waste Collected & Recycled LDPE & LLDPE Supply, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-10 | Packaging Demand for Recycled LDPE & LLDPE by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-11 | Virgin Polypropylene & Other Plastic Resin Supply & Demand, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-12 | PP & Other Plastic Waste Collected & Recycled PP & Other Plastic Supply, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 9-13 | Recycled PP & Other Plastic Resin Demand in Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
10. Recycled Plastics in Packaging Products
Figure 10-1 | Recycled Plastic Demand in Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 10-2 | Bottles: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Application, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 10-3 | Food & Beverage Bottles: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Application, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 10-4 | Non-Food Bottle Demand for Recycled Plastic by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 10-5 | Demand for Recycled Plastic in Other Rigid Plastic Packaging by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 10-6 | Demand for Recycled Plastic in Flexible Packaging by Product, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 10-7 | Retail Bags: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 10-8 | Trash Bags: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
Figure 10-9 | Other Flexible Packaging: Demand for Recycled Plastic by Resin, 2010 - 2030 (million pounds)
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