National Recycling Rate Analysis: Q4 2025

Published 2026-03-12

This quarterly report examines municipal recycling rates across 200 regions, identifying policy drivers behind the 3.2 percentage-point improvement in national diversion rates and highlighting persistent contamination challenges in single-stream programs.

Key Findings

  1. National recycling rate reached 37.4%, up 3.2 points from Q3, driven by expanded curbside access in 14 new municipalities.
  2. Contamination rates dropped to 16.8% in regions with standardized labeling programs, compared to 24.1% in regions without.
  3. Glass recovery improved 18% after three states implemented bottle deposit legislation.
  4. Organic waste diversion remains the largest untapped opportunity, with only 6.2% of food waste currently composted.

Regional Breakdown

RegionRateYoY ChangePolicy Score
Northeast42.1%▲ 4.2%A
West Coast39.8%▲ 3.1%A-
Midwest34.2%▲ 2.8%B+
Southeast31.5%▲ 1.9%B
Mountain28.7%▼ 0.4%C+

Report Archive

2025-Q3 Summer Diversion Trends
2025-Q2 Policy Impact Assessment
2025-Q1 Annual Baseline Report