EPA National Recycling Strategy / U.S. National Recycling Goal

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The National Recycling Strategy is focused on enhancing and advancing the national municipal solid waste recycling system and identifies strategic objectives and stakeholder-led actions to create a stronger, more resilient, and cost-effective domestic MSW recycling system. The Strategy reflects the work of many stakeholders – including the public, companies, and non-governmental and community-based organizations – and input from other federal agencies, states, Tribes, and local governments. The U.S. MSW recycling system currently faces a number of challenges, including confusion about what materials can be recycled, recycling infrastructure that has not kept pace with today’s diverse and changing waste stream, reduced markets for recycled materials, and varying methodologies to measure recycling system performance. The "National Recycling Strategy" identifies actions to address these challenges that build on the collaborative efforts by stakeholders from across the recycling system that began under the 2019 "National Framework for Advancing the U.S. Recycling System." Advancing MSW recycling alone will not achieve a circular economy for the United States; recycling is only one action in the toolkit. Work is necessary to broadly encompass areas not addressed here, including product redesign, source reduction, and reuse. Recycling efforts in the United States are inclusive of more than just the processing of MSW at material recovery facilities and include many other materials, such electronics, textiles, cement, concrete, and food waste. National Recycling Strategy (pdf) (28.01 MB, November 2021) . Spanish (Español) Translation of "National Recycling Strategy (Estrategia Nacional de Reciclaje) (pdf) (9.64 MB, November 2021) . "National Recycling Strategy" Executive Summary (pdf) (944.03 KB, November 2021) . Frequently Asked Questions related to "National Recycling Strategy." National Framework for Advancing the U.S. Recycling System The National Framework for Advancing the U.S. Recycling System, released November 2019, is the product of a multi-stakeholder collaborative effort that began on November 15, 2018. On that day, EPA hosted the first America Recycles Day Summit, which for the first time ever brought together stakeholders from across the U.S. recycling system to join EPA in signing the America Recycles Pledge. Participants included representatives from federal, local, state and Tribal governments; the recycling industry; non-profits; manufacturers; and product brands, who worked collaboratively over the course of 2019. All 45 signing organizations, including EPA, pledged to work together to identify specific actions to take in addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the U.S. recycling system. National Framework for Advancing the U.S. Recycling System (pdf) (4.36 MB, November 2019) Draft National Recycling Strategy and Executive Summary In October 2020, EPA published a draft of the National Recycling Strategy for public comment. Draft National Recycling Strategy Executive Summary (pdf) (130.03 KB) . Draft National Recycling Strategy (pdf) (843.97 KB) . 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