Paper Recovery & Landfill
The volume of paper recovered for recycling rose in 2011, while paper purchases declined. As a result, the volume of paper estimated to have been disposed of in landfills fell 9 percent in 2011, reaching the lowest level in decades.
| Paper Recovered (million tons) |
Paper Landfilled (million tons) |
|
| 1993 | 35.5 | 38.4 |
| 1994 | 39.7 | 37.9 |
| 1995 | 42.2 | 36.3 |
| 1996 | 43.1 | 34.4 |
| 1997 | 44.0 | 37.3 |
| 1998 | 45.1 | 38.4 |
| 1999 | 46.8 | 41.4 |
| 2000 | 47.3 | 40.0 |
| 2001 | 47.0 | 36.6 |
| 2002 | 47.6 | 37.7 |
| 2003 | 49.3 | 36.6 |
| 2004 | 50.2 | 39.9 |
| 2005 | 51.3 | 37.8 |
| 2006 | 53.3 | 36.9 |
| 2007 | 54.3 | 32.9 |
| 2008 | 51.8 | 28.1 |
| 2009 | 50.0 | 19.3 |
| 2010 | 51.5 | 20.3 |
| 2011 | 52.8 | 18.4 |
