U.S. better at recycling some things than others Share of each major wastestream that was recycled or composted in 2013 Lead acid batteries Corrugated boxes Other steel packaging Steel cans Newspapers Yard trimmings Major appliances Beer and soft drink cans Consumer electronics Wine and liquor bottles PET plastic bottles and jajars Other paper packaging
But the perception that communities recycle “most types of items” obscures the markedly different rates at which various types of waste actually are recycled or composted. According to our analysis of the EPA data, 99% of lead-acid batteries (the sort found in cars and trucks), 88.5% of corrugated cardboard boxes, and 67% of newspapers, directories and the like were recycled as of 2013. On the other hand, only 28.2% of high-density polyethylene containers (such as milk jugs) were recycled, as were 13.5% of plastic bags and wraps and only 6.2% of small appliances. Three-fifths (60.2%) of yard trimmings were composted, but just 5% of food waste was.
One category of solid waste that’s grown rapidly, in both quantity generated and amount recycled, is consumer electronics – TVs, computer equipment, phones, DVD players and the like. According to the EPA report, 40.4% of the 3.1 million tons of consumer electronics that entered the wastestream in 2013 were recycled, up from 30.6% in 2012.
U.S. better at recycling some things than others  | Share of each major wastestream that was recycled  | or composted in 2013  | Lead acid batteries  | Corrugated boxes  | Other steel packaging  | Steel cans  | Newspapers  | Yard trimmings  | Major appliances  | Beer and soft drink cans  | Beer and soft drink bottles  | Other paper products  | Rubber tires  | Consumer electronics  | Wine and liquor bottles  | TOTAL  | PET plastic bottles and jajars  | HDPE plastic bottles  | Other paper packaging  | Wood packaging  | Other plastic containers  | Towels sheets and pillowcases  | Other glass bottles and jars  | Clothing and footwear  | Plastic bags, sacks and wraps  | Carpets and trugs  | Small appliances  | Food wastes  | Misc. nondurable goods  | Other plastics packaging  | Misc durable goods  | Furniture/turnishines  | 20  | 40  | 60  | 80  | 100%  | Source: Environmental Protection Agency, "Advancing Sustainable Materials  | Management: Facts and Figures June 2015.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 