In 2011, with 250.4 million tons of waste generated, the number of recycled and composted material was slightly higher (86,9 million tons).
In 2012, 29,3 million tons of waste where used in combustion with energy recovery, yet still the largest part with 135.0 million tons end up in landfills or combustion without energy recovery. This number has slightly increased compared to 2011 (134.2 million tons).
In 2012, lead-acid battery recovery was about 96 percent (2.8 million tons). Newspaper/mechanical papers recovery was about 70 percent (5.9 million tons), and over 57 percent of yard trimmings were recovered (19.6 million tons).
Reycling in the US slightly decreasing
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2012 Americans generated about 251 million tons of trash and recycled and composted 86,6 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 34.5 percent recycling rate.
