Why Recycle?

Paper Recycling Creates a Circular and Sustainable Future

Recycling recovered paper into products like 100% recycled paperboard and containerboard creates significant environmental and economic benefits for our nation.

Environmental Benefits of Paper Recycling 

  • Paper recycling delivers real environmental benefits for the American people. It is truly a circular success story.

  • In 2022, nearly 68% of paper was recycled, including 93.6% of cardboard (OCC or “old corrugated containers”).

  • The paper industry recycles about 50 million tons of recovered paper every year — totaling more than 1 billion tons over the past 20 years.

  • According to the U.S. EPA, more paper by weight is recovered for recycling than plastic, glass, steel, and aluminum combined.

  • Members of the Paper Recycling Coalition alone use approximately 10 million tons of recovered paper annually.

  • By recycling paper and turning it into new 100 percent recycled paper products, PRC members prevent it from being incinerated or landfilled where it degrades, producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

  • The paper recycling sector continues to improve its efficiency, resulting in reduced energy and water usage and reduced greenhouse gas emissions and criteria pollutants.

  • Paper can be recycled up to seven times!

Economic Benefits of Paper Recycling

  • The recycled paper industry is a major contributor to the U.S. economy.

  • During the 1990s alone, U.S. papermakers invested an estimated $10 billion in new recycling capacity.

  • Between 2019 and 2025, the recycled paper sector is expected to deploy another $7 billion in manufacturing investments that will use more than 9 million tons of recovered fiber.

  • PRC members operate 500 facilities in 45 states and support over 63,000 well-paid jobs with competitive benefits throughout the United States.

  • The sector influences another 615,000 jobs across the recycling supply chain (collection, processing, and manufacturing), totaling nearly 680,000 U.S. jobs.

  • The annual economic impact of the paper recycling supply chain amounts to a staggering $150 billion. 

  • The annual payroll of recycled paper, paperboard, and deinked market pulp mills is $6.9 billion.

  • Through taxes and other receipts, recycled paper, paperboard, and deinked market pulp mills contribute $9.6 billion to federal, state, and local government revenues.