WM’s Recycling Report: Do Americans Really Recycle?

While 77% of Americans say they recycle, the actual material recycling rate is just 32.1% according to WM’s 2025 Recycling Report.

Based on a national survey of more than 1,100 consumers and behavioural research in a variety of US markets, the report explores what shapes recycling and how it could be improved.

"The 2025 WM Recycling Report shows us that to truly close the gap between intention and action, recycling providers, consumer packaged goods companies and municipalities need to meet people where they are and understand what influences them to recycle," says Tara Hemmer, Chief Sustainability Officer at WM.

"At WM, we are investing in technology, infrastructure and education to help turn good recycling intentions into real, lasting impact – all while working with companies to help them maintain their recycled content commitments and with municipalities to increase recycling access in communities."

Recycling performance in the US

The report says that despite positive sentiment, recycling behaviour is falling short in the US. 

A majority of Americans report that they currently recycle and 7 in 10 say they find recycling easy to do, but the data on recycling rates tells a different story.

Just 32.1% of materials used by Americans are being recycled. 

In WM’s research, a week spent with behavioural study participants showed recycling action took place far less than what was reported in survey data.

How consumers feel about recycling

Most respondents say they believe recycling is important in protecting the environment and those who do recycle say they began because they wanted to make a difference. 

Americans report strong interest in recycling, with around half saying they are interested in recycling more. 

The report also found that recycling leads to positive emotional ties. 

The top ranked emotions included feeling satisfied (48%), optimistic (32%) and accomplished (31%).

Respondents were much less likely to report negative emotions, with 6% reporting frustration, 5% hopelessness and another 5% confusion. 

When asked where responsibility should lie for recycling, nearly half of respondents said it should be a shared effort versus a solely personal or community obligation.

Corporate influence on recycling behaviours

Nearly two thirds of Americans say they would be more likely to purchase products from consumer packaged goods companies that use recycled content in their products. 

Most respondents say they notice when a business has recycling available for its customers and nearly half say that the impact of a company’s sustainability goals is a strong factor in purchasing decisions.

Six in 10 say they are more likely to buy from companies that include recycled content in their products.

Many Americans, particularly older consumers, lack confidence that plastics placed in bins are actually recycled and nearly three quarters would be interested to learn more about what happens to their recycling after pick-up.

More than 80% of respondents say they would be more likely to recycle if they knew the materials they recycle are used to make new products and 79% say if they know some of the everyday products they buy were made from recycled materials, they would be more likely to recycle. 

Barriers behind the “say-do gap”

Of those who do not recycle, 35% say they don’t have access to recycling services in their area, while another quarter are interested but find it too hard or inconvenient to do so.

Nearly a quarter of respondents say recycling is difficult, with access, frequency and knowledge gaps causing problems. 

Limited frequency of curbside pickup (30%), a lack of understanding of what can and cannot be recycled (29%), bins that fill up too quickly (18%) and limited access to bins in the house (17%) create additional challenges.

Nearly two thirds of individuals said they would be interested in recycling more if they knew more about what to and not to recycle.

Robert Little, Sustainability Strategy Lead for gTech at Google, says on LinkedIn: “This data is a clear signal that we must invest in better, more convenient infrastructure. And honestly, it's just more evidence and a huge tailwind for smart policies like EPR.

“The system is the bottleneck, not the consumer.”

Making US recycling more impactful

WM is America’s largest recycler and aims to advance the circular economy through new technology and solutions.

The company says it is executing on plans to invest more than US$1.4bn in building new and upgrading existing recycling facilities from 2022 through 2026.

Its plans include leveraging automation and artificial intelligence in an effort to capture more material and increase efficiency.

Alongside being a recycling leader, WM is a leader in beneficial use of landfill gas, with a growing network of renewable natural gas plants and the most landfill gas-to-electricity plants as well as the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet in the industry.