by Freedonia Focus Reports Team
July 24, 2024
Replacement sales, landfill bans will boost volumes recovered
Cleveland, OH, July 24, 2024 — Total post-consumer metal recovered in the US from the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream is forecast to see growth of 1.5% in volume terms through 2028, according to Recovered Metals: United States, a report recently released by Freedonia Focus Reports. In support of this trend, the volume of metal generated in the MSW stream is expected to expand 1.7% annually, on the strength of rising consumer spending. Increasing disposable incomes will encourage durable goods purchases, generating disposals as items are replaced. In addition to economic growth, disposals will increase as some durable goods procured during historical surges in spending will reach the end of their useful lives over the forecast period, necessitating replacement and contributing to the waste stream. Government grants will also allow for recycling capacity increases, boosting demand for recovered metals. Metal-containing products such as appliances and lead-acid batteries will continue to be recovered instead of discarded due to persistent landfill bans in many areas. Furthermore, consumers will continue to receive incentives for recycling these and similar items, such as payments for turning in old appliances or spent batteries.
These and other key insights are featured in Recovered Metals: United States. This report forecasts to 2028 US recovery of post-consumer metal from the US MSW stream in short tons. For comparison, this report also forecasts the generation of post-consumer metal in the MSW stream to 2028. Total metal recovery and generation are segmented by type in terms of:
ferrous
lead
aluminum
other nonferrous (generation only)
To illustrate historical trends, total metal volumes generated and recovered along with their segments are provided in annual series from 2013-2023.
Pre-consumer metal (industrial scrap) and lead from non-battery sources and non-vehicle batteries are excluded from the scope of this report. The following materials are excluded from this analysis because MSW volumes are considered negligible (less than 0.05% of the total volume) or a method for accurately quantifying these volumes has not been established:
recovery of aluminum from nondurable and durable goods
recovery of other nonferrous metals (such as copper, titanium, zinc, and brass)
Throughout this report, measures in tons refer to short tons.
Generation refers to the weight of materials and products as they enter the waste management system from residential, commercial and institutional sources and before recycling, composting, combustion or landfilling take place. Pre-consumer (industrial) scrap is not included in the generation estimate. Source reduction activities, such as backyard composting, take place ahead of generation.
Recycling is defined as the recovery of useful materials, such as paper, glass, plastic and metals, from the MSW stream, along with the transformation of the materials, to make new products to reduce the amount of virgin raw materials needed to meet consumer demands.
More information about the report is available at:
https://www.freedoniagroup.com/freedonia-focus/recovered-metals-united-states-ff65055.htm
About Freedonia Focus Reports
Each month, The Freedonia Group publishes over 20 new or updated Freedonia Focus Reports, providing fresh, unbiased analysis on a wide variety of markets and industries. Published in 20-30 pages, Focus Report coverage ranges from raw materials to finished manufactured goods and related services such as freight and construction. Additional Metals, Minerals, & Glass reports can be purchased at Freedonia Focus Reports.
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