Volume of Packaging Waste Recovered to Rise with Increases in Waste Volumes Generated

Cleveland, OH, June 24, 2024 — Total post-consumer packaging recovered in the US from the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream is forecast to grow 2.1% annually in volume terms through 2028, according to Recovered Packaging: United States, a report recently released by Freedonia Focus Reports. The volume of generated waste packaging is projected to see annual gains of 1.2% over that span from 2023 levels. The ongoing spread of residential and commercial recycling and increasing MSW generation will continue to elevate recovery volumes over the forecast period. Firms across a broad range of industries including paper and glassmaking will continue to advocate recycling as a strategy to boost the available stock of input materials. Rising demand for packaging due to increasing sales of nondurable and durable goods is expected to drive growth in recovered packaging volumes. However, increased efforts by firms to lightweight packaging will prevent further advances in generated and recovered packaging volumes. Further growth in waste recovery will also be limited by:

• volatile prices for recyclable waste since the implementation of China's National Sword policy

• difficulties in separating recyclable materials from single-stream recycling programs

• waste contamination

• hurdles to utilizing municipal dual-stream programs, due to lack of availability for pickup options or the additional burden dropoff programs place on households to separate and deposit recyclable waste

These and other key insights are featured in Recovered Packaging: United States. This report forecasts to 2028 US recovery of post-consumer packaging from the US MSW stream in short tons. For comparison, this report also forecasts the total generation of post-consumer packaging in the MSW stream. Total packaging recovery and generation are segmented by material in terms of:

• paper

• glass

• wood

• metal

• plastic

• other packaging (generation only)

To illustrate historical trends, total packaging volumes recovered and generated, and the various segments are provided in annual series from 2013 to 2023.

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.

The annual volume of material recovered from other packaging, such as that made of textiles and leather, is negligible, and is therefore excluded from total recovered packaging. Throughout this report, measures in tons refer to short tons.

More information about the report is available at:

https://www.freedoniagroup.com/freedonia-focus/recovered-packaging-united-states-ff30051.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 Packaging reports can be purchased at Freedonia Focus Reports.

• total historical market size and industry output
• segmentation by products and markets
• identification of market drivers, constraints, and key indicators
• segment-by-segment outlook in five-year forecasts
• a survey of the supply base
• suggested resources for further study