NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.
Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
The U.S. Plastics Recycling Economy: Current State, Challenges, and Opportunities
Published
Author(s)
Douglas Thomas, Joshua D. Kneifel, David Butry
Abstract
This report builds upon NIST AMS 100-48 (Thomas 2022), which examined the economics of increased circularity in the economy, focusing on the processes, forces, and decision making that result in an unsustainable economy. This report further discusses the current state of plastics recycling, manufacturing, usage, and waste handling in the United States. It discusses and compares state level recycling programs along with national recycling programs in other countries, particularly those with high plastic recycling rates. The report also examines the potential for chemical recycling to address the plastics recycling problem. Finally, it summarizes the stakeholders in the plastic recycling economy, including incentives, barriers, and challenges to increasing recycling or recycled content use.
Thomas, D.
, Kneifel, J.
and Butry, D.
(2024),
The U.S. Plastics Recycling Economy: Current State, Challenges, and Opportunities, Advanced Manufacturing Series (NIST AMS), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.AMS.100-64, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=958528
(Accessed October 14, 2025)