United States Plastic Recycling Market Size, Share, By Plastic Type (Polyethylene Teraphthalate, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, And Polyvinyl Chloride), And Recycling Process (Mechanical Recycling And Chemical Recycling), And United States Plastic Recycling Market Insights, Industry Trend, Forecasts to 2035

United States Plastic Recycling Market Insights Forecasts to 2035

• United States Plastic Recycling Market Size 2024:  34.15 Million Tonnes
• United States Plastic Recycling Market Size 2035:  55.47 Million Tonnes
• United States Plastic Recycling Market CAGR 2024: 4.51%
• United States Plastic Recycling Market Segments: Plastic Type and Recycling Process

The United States plastic recycling market encompasses an entire collection of collecting, processing, and converting all categories of post-consumer and post-industrial plastics into usable, recyclable materials and products by means of both mechanical and chemical recycling techniques within each market. This market includes many different types of plastic The recycling process produces raw materials and finished products for multiple industries including packaging, consumer goods, automotive, and construction, all moving towards a circular economy model.

The plastic recycling in United States are backed by government support, including the National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution provides a comprehensive approach across the plastics lifecycle from reducing production and consumption of single-use plastics to improving waste management and recycling systems with the long-term aim of eliminating plastic pollution. In addition, the EPA’s National Recycling Strategy sets a voluntary national goal to reach a 50% recycling rate by 2030, underscoring federal commitment to expanding recycling and circular approaches.

As technology advances, US plastic recycling providers are now using both sorting and processing systems and the development of new recycling pathways to recover higher quality materials, innovations such as artificial intelligence and improved optical sorting technologies allow for better separation of mixed plastics in a way that will address traditional barriers such as low recovery rates and contamination, thus allowing recycled plastics to compete better than virgin materials in high demand applications.

Market Dynamics of the United States Plastic Recycling Market:

The United States plastic recycling market is driven by the growing environmental awareness among consumers and corporations, rising regulatory pressure to reduce plastic waste, increase recycling rates, expanding demand for recycled content in products, enhanced focus on sustainability goals, improvements in recycling infrastructure, and increased funding support for recycling programs contribute to greater capacity and public engagement in plastic waste diversion.

The United States plastic recycling market is restrained by the low recycling rate for plastics, inadequate collection infrastructure, economic constraints, inconsistent regulatory frameworks across states, and technical limitations in processing certain plastic types.

The future of United States plastic recycling market is bright and promising, with versatile opportunities emerging from increasing policies in the public sector and commitments from the private sector for circular economy. There are numerous opportunities available for advanced recycling technologies such as chemical recycling and improved mechanical processes that can recover value from greater numbers of different types of plastic and produce plastic materials that have comparable quality to virgin resins. in sectors such as automotive and construction continue to grow.

Market Segmentation

The United States Plastic Recycling Market share is classified into plastic type and recycling process.

By Plastic Type:

The United States plastic recycling market is divided by plastic type into polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride. Among these, the polyethylene terephthalate segment held the largest revenue market share in 2024 and is predicted to grow at a remarkable CAGR during the forecast period. Massive use in beverage bottles and food packaging, high recyclability, and well established, efficient collection, and reprocessing infrastructure, all contribute to the polyethylene terephthalate segment's largest share and higher spending on plastic recycling when compared to other plastic type.

By Recycling Process:

The United States plastic recycling market is divided by recycling process into mechanical recycling and chemical recycling. Among these, the mechanical recycling segment dominated the share in 2024 and is anticipated to grow at a remarkable CAGR during the forecast period. The mechanical recycling segment dominates because of its established infrastructure, cost-effectiveness, high efficiency plastics, well established infrastructure, lower environmental impact, and demand for sustainable materials in packaging drive its adoption.

Competitive Analysis:

The report offers the appropriate analysis of the key organisations/companies involved within the United States plastic recycling market, along with a comparative evaluation primarily based on their product offering, business overviews, geographic presence, enterprise strategies, segment market share, and SWOT analysis. The report also provides an elaborative analysis focusing on the current news and developments of the companies, which includes product development, innovations, joint ventures, partnerships, mergers & acquisitions, strategic alliances, and others. This allows for the evaluation of the overall competition within the market.

Top Key Companies in United States Plastic Recycling Market:

• Waste Management, Inc.
• Republic Services
• KW Plastics
• Veolia Environnement
• Clean Harbors
• Waste Connections, Inc.
• Stericycle, Inc.
• TerraCycle
• Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited
• CarbonLITE Industries LLC
• MBA Polymers
• Plastic Energy Limited
• Others

Recent Developments in United States Plastic Recycling Market:

In February 2024, Republic Services & Blue Polymers construction began on an advanced plastic recycling complex in Indianapolis, Indiana. This facility was designed to significantly expand post-consumer plastic recycling capabilities to produce recycled resins.

In February 2024, A “first-of-its-kind” plastics recycling and remanufacturing “microfactory” held its opening ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona. The facility, a partnership between Arizona State University, the city of Phoenix, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, and hustle PHX, transforms plastics waste into new products.

Key Target Audience

• Market Players
• Investors
• End-users
• Government Authorities 
• Consulting and Research Firm
• Venture capitalists
• Value-Added Resellers (VARs)

Market Segment

This study forecasts revenue at the United States, regional, and country levels from 2020 to 2035. Spherical Insights has segmented the United States plastic recycling market based on the below-mentioned segments:

United States Plastic Recycling Market, By Plastic Type

• Polyethylene Teraphthalate
• Polyethylene
• Polypropylene
• Polystyrene
• Polyvinyl Chloride

United States Plastic Recycling Market, By Recycling Process

• Mechanical Recycling
• Chemical Recycling