New data from the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) reveals that municipal solid waste (MSW) heading to US landfills is increasing, even as the total number of active landfill facilities declines due to industry consolidation. The findings, previewed at the RCon conference, show that larger regional sites are absorbing greater volumes, indicating that waste generation continues to outpace recycling and diversion efforts.
This trend highlights a persistent global reliance on landfilling over recovery, despite widespread circular economy targets. As smaller facilities close, the concentration of waste in mega-landfills suggests that municipal sorting and collection infrastructures are failing to intercept recyclable polymers before they reach the point of final disposal.
For UK waste companies and Turkish recyclers, these US developments underscore the shared challenges of feedstock quality and landfill diversion. The UK is continuously tightening its waste policies through escalating landfill tax rates and stricter export regulations. If major economies like the US fail to divert clean plastics from landfill, it constrains the global supply of high-quality scrap. For Turkish recyclers relying on imported polymer feedstocks, this systemic failure drives up the cost of clean recyclables, making efficient domestic sorting and processing infrastructure even more critical to secure viable margins.
The practical takeaway for waste managers and packaging converters is the critical need to invest in advanced upstream sorting. Relying on basic municipal collection to yield high-purity recyclates is increasingly risky; operators must deploy robust optical and mechanical sorting technologies to ensure polymers are recovered before they enter the waste stream destined for final disposal.
