US paper recycling rate, exports down in '24

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has reported its 2024 United States paper recycling rates, revealing a slight decline compared with last year as well as a slump in recovered paper exports.

According to the AF&PA, which updated its recycling rate methodology last year, 60-64 percent of paper and 69-74 percent of cardboard available for recovery was recycled in the U.S. last year, down slightly from 2023, when 65-69 percent of paper and 71-76 percent of cardboard was recycled.

Overall, the group reports that 46 million tons of paper were recycled in the U.S. last year.

“Paper recycling works, and our success is due in large part to the paper industry’s ownership stake in America’s recycling systems and the millions of people who recycle every day,” AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock says in a statement. “The paper industry has prioritized recycling for over 30 years, and we are committed to advancing this progress.”

The AF&PA report does show an increase in the recovered fiber share of all fiber consumed at U.S.—a statistic that steadily has been climbing over the past 20 years. In 2005, recovered fiber made up 36.6 percent of feedstock at U.S. mills, increasing to 37.7 percent in 2015 to 44.4 percent in 2024.

A 13.5 percent increase also was reported in net containers entering the U.S., boosting the among of goods with paper-based packaging imported to the U.S., which increased the amount of paper available for recycling.

Last year, U.S. mills used 32.7 million tons of recovered fiber to make new products, up 1.29 million tons from the 31.3 million used in 2023.

“The recent gains can be attributed to the fact that, since 2021, about 4 million tons of containerboard and packaging paper mill capacity that primarily uses 100 [percent] recycled paper has come online,” AF&PA Vice President of Industry Affairs Terry Webber said during a media briefing Aug. 12. “This is due largely to voluntary industry investment in new or modernized mills.”

However, while U.S. mills consumed more recovered fiber in 2024, the U.S. exported less recovered fiber last year, primarily because of decreased demand from Asia, according to AF&PA.

“In other words, even though U.S. mills are using more recycled paper in their manufacturing processes, the paper recycling rate declined slightly in 2024 because of softer-than-expected recycled paper demand in export markets,” Webber said.

“I want to reiterate that paper recycling is and continues to be a success story. The paper industry has prioritized recycling for over 30 years. We are committed to even more progress. Our members are not just participants in the system. We're helping to build and improve it.”