The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has published the annual recycling rates for paper in the USA. According to this, around 60 to 64 per cent of available paper and 69 to 74 per cent of old cardboard was recycled in 2024.
Paper thus remains one of the most frequently recycled materials in the United States. In total, around 46 million tonnes of paper were recycled in 2024 - this corresponds to around 125,000 tonnes per day, which were processed into new products such as cardboard boxes, paper packaging or tissue paper.
More use of recycled fibres in US mills
US paper mills used a total of 32.7 million tonnes of recycled paper in 2024, 1.29 million tonnes more than in the previous year. The share of recycled fibres in total fibre use has risen continuously over the past two decades: from 36.6 percent in 2005 to 37.7 percent in 2015 and 44.4 percent in 2024.
Another factor was the significant increase in imported goods with paper-based packaging. In 2024, the number of containers imported into the USA grew by 13.5 per cent, which increased the recycling volume. At the same time, the US exported less recovered paper as demand from Asia declined, according to the report.
Source: American Forest & Paper Association
