"Despite decades of environmental policy and public awareness initiatives, recycling access in the United States remains highly uneven. While many urban centers benefit from established infrastructure for materials recovery and recycling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that a large share of rural and economically underserved communities lacks practical access to recycling services. This disparity undermines national sustainability goals and limits the economic potential of recovered materials."
"According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the national recycling rate for plastics has stagnated at approximately 8.7, and most mixed plastics-especially resin types #3 through #7-are rarely recovered for reuse or remanufacture. Meanwhile, the National Academies' Municipal Solid Waste Recycling in the United States report indicates that that could be recycled are instead lost due to insufficient regional infrastructure, prohibitive transport costs, and lack of accessible local processing capacity."
Recycling access across the United States is highly uneven, with urban centers supported by established materials recovery infrastructure while many rural and underserved communities lack practical services. The national plastics recycling rate has stagnated at about 8.7 percent, and mixed plastics—especially resin types #3 through #7—are rarely recovered for reuse. Insufficient regional infrastructure, prohibitive transport costs, and limited local processing capacity cause recyclable materials to be diverted to landfills instead of remanufacture. The access gap is pronounced in southeastern and midwestern counties that lack population density and economic base to support traditional facilities. Centralized material recovery facilities depend on large feedstock volumes, proximity to population centers, and substantial capital.
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