Every year the United States disposes of millions of tons of plastic containers and packaging in landfill sites. In 2018, 1.8 million tons of PET bottles and jars were landfilled, while three million tons of bags, sacks, and wraps were landfilled. In total, 14.53 million tons of plastic packaging waste was generated in the U.S., of which 69 percent was landfilled and just 14 percent was recycled.
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Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product
(in 1,000 tons)
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Environmental Protection Agency. (January 23, 2021). Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 28, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons)." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 28, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Volume of Plastic Packaging Landfilled in The United States from 1960 to 2018, by Product (in 1,000 Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency, Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/ (last visited June 28, 2025)
Volume of plastic packaging landfilled in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, January 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229740/us-plastics-packaging-landfilled-by-product/
