While paper and paperboard consumption is currently four percent higher than it was in 1990, the amount of paper winding up in landfills is down 30 percent relative to the volume at the same time.

graph
  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 28.6
2009 50.0 20.8

did you know...

  • In 2009 a record-high 63.4% of the paper used in the U.S. was recovered for recycling.
  • Every ton of paper recycled saves more than 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.
  • 87 percent (268 million) of Americans have access to curbside or drop-off paper recycling programs.
  • In 2009 the amount of paper recovered for recycling averaged 325 pounds for each man, woman, and child in the United States.

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