U.S. plastic recycling rate falls to less than 6 pct in 2021: study

The plastic recycling rate in the United States fell to between 5 percent and 6 percent in 2021, according to a new study.

The report, released by environmental groups The Last Beach Cleanup and Beyond Plastics on Wednesday, said the "paltry" recycling rate dropped from 8.7 percent in 2018, citing the most recent data published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in November 2020 for the year.

The report revealed that while plastic recycling was on the decline, the per capita generation of plastic waste increased 263 percent since 1980. The U.S. plastic recycling rate peaked at a dismal 9.5 percent, including exports, in 2014 and is now in an irreversible decline to eventual insignificance, according to the report.

"The truth is that less than 6 percent of plastic waste is recycled and the other 94 percent is disposed of in landfills, burned in incinerators, or ends up polluting our ocean, waterways, and landscapes after being used just once, often for mere minutes," said researchers in a news release, adding that the plastic recycling process itself is wasteful, with 30 percent of collected PET bottle plastic material disposed in the recycling process.

The researchers said the new data should be a "wake-up call." They noted in the report that "the U.S. must take responsibility for managing its own plastic waste" and "it's time to implement real solutions, particularly the reduction of single-use plastic food service items that have the highest likelihood of polluting our environment."