The updated “50 States of Recycling” report that Ball Corporation and Eunomia Research & Consulting has been released. It ranks U.S. states by recycling rates while also examining the benefits of policies that have proven successful at the state level, such as Recycling Refunds, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). This is the first report that models the outcome of different policy solutions on recycling rates.
The updated report found that:
- Recycling rates across the USA have stagnated or declined.
- A failure to invest in the national recycling infrastructure is a missed opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- 9 of the 10 states with the highest recycling rates have Recycling Refunds (also known as bottle bills or Deposit Return Systems).
- States with Recycling Refunds recycle 27% more packaging (excluding fibers and flexible plastics) than non-Recycling Refund states.
- $6.5 billion worth of material is lost to landfills annually and could be captured through more effective recycling practices.
- Nationally, the value of material diverted from landfills is $2.6 billion, which only represents 32% of the value that could be captured annually.
