US recovery of post-consumer plastic reached 5.1 billion pounds in 2024, up 114.9 million pounds from the previous reporting period in 2022, according to the 2024 U.S. Post-Consumer Plastic Recycling Study published by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR).

The study, released as the 2024 U.S. Post-Consumer Plastic Recycling Data Dashboard, draws on facility-level survey data compiled by Stina Inc. and the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR). APR conducts the assessment every two years and describes it as the most accurate measurement of post-consumer plastic recovered for recycling nationwide, based on data from facility operations rather than estimates of material set out at the curb.

Film carries the growth; bottles and rigids contract

The 114.9-million-pound headline gain conceals sharply diverging trajectories across material categories.

Plastic film posted the largest increase, rising 206.8 million pounds to 1,317.2 million pounds recovered — enough to offset declines elsewhere and then some. Bottles moved in the opposite direction, falling 89.3 million pounds to 2,694.7 million pounds recovered. Non-bottle rigid plastics slipped 7.5 million pounds to 1,104.3 million pounds. Other categories varied.

The findings align with the recommendations in APR's recent report, How to Rebuild and Protect North America's Recycling System, which calls for increased investment, improved collection and sorting systems, stronger demand for recycled plastics, and policies that support long-term market growth.

Margin pressure held back capacity investment

Survey respondents described a market under sustained pressure throughout 2024. Elevated bale prices, soft demand for post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin, and persistently low virgin resin prices compressed margins across the recycling industry, making it harder for reclaimers to justify additional capacity.

One caveat matters for forward projections: the data reflects market conditions before the PET recycling plant closures that occurred in 2025 and 2026. The next study cycle will have to absorb that lost throughput.

"The industry has proven it can recover more than five billion pounds of post-consumer plastic, but holding steady isn't the goal," said Steve Alexander, president and CEO of APR. "Plastic recycling is poised for significant growth as a proven solution to reduce plastic waste and strengthen domestic manufacturing, but today's marketplace continues to favor low-cost virgin plastic over recycled materials. To unlock the next phase of growth, we need policies that create stronger demand for recycled plastics and support investment across the recycling value chain."

Domestic reclamation dominates

The data reinforces the shift of recycled plastics processing toward North America rather than export markets. Nearly 94 percent of recovered material — 4.8 billion pounds — was processed by North American reclaimers, including operations in Canada and Mexico.

US reclaimers alone acquired 4.4 billion pounds. That figure demonstrates the domestic infrastructure already in place, APR notes, across more than 21 states with active plastic reclamation facilities, with associated jobs and economic activity.

"The findings reinforce that a stronger recycling system depends on every part of the value chain working together," said Crystal Bayliss, executive director of the US Plastics Pact. "This type of data consistently shows that plastic recycling works every day, and residents and businesses should feel confident putting recyclable plastics in their recycling bins. By designing packaging for circularity, strengthening collection systems, and expanding demand for recycled materials, we can turn incremental gains into lasting, system-wide progress."

The reporting gap

For all its depth, the study cannot produce a national recycling rate. The United States does not require comprehensive reporting for plastic recycling, so a consistent rate calculation remains impossible — a gap that limits comparability across years and jurisdictions.

That is where policy enters. Seven states have now enacted packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, designed to provide dedicated funding for recycling systems while establishing more consistent reporting on the amount of packaging produced and the amount reused, recycled, or composted.

As those programs move from statute to implementation, the additional reporting they mandate is expected to give regulators and investors a more complete picture of recycling performance. The milestone to watch: whether the demand-side policies Alexander calls for — and the reporting discipline the seven EPR states are building — arrive fast enough to counteract the virgin-resin price advantage and replace the PET capacity lost in 2025 and 2026 before the 2026 study documents another two years of uneven growth.