Metal recycling statistics show a split picture: large streams such as steel packaging, appliances, and scrap are recovered at substantial rates, while much aluminum and small-appliance waste still reaches disposal. The figures below combine U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates for 2018 with U.S. Geological Survey estimates for 2023 and 2025. The measurement year and geography matter because these figures describe different parts of the U.S. materials system.
Contents
- U.S. metals in municipal solid waste
- Ferrous metals and steel
- Aluminum recycling
- Other nonferrous metals and batteries
- Appliances and durable goods
- Metal packaging
- Recent scrap and automobile figures
U.S. metals in municipal solid waste
The EPA estimated that U.S. municipal solid waste (MSW) contained 25.6 million tons of metals in 2018. Of that total, 8.72 million tons were recycled, 2.95 million tons were combusted with energy recovery, and 13.93 million tons were landfilled. These are EPA estimates for 2018, not a current national total.
The three destination figures provide useful context for the overall metal stream:
- Recycled: 8.72 million tons.
- Combusted with energy recovery: 2.95 million tons.
- Landfilled: 13.93 million tons.
The EPA’s [2018 Tables and Figures, Table 7] does not provide a direct source URL in the supplied reference, so the source label is retained here for identification.
Metal categories differed considerably. Ferrous metals accounted for an estimated 19.2 million tons of MSW generation in 2018, or 6.6% of total MSW generation. EPA’s table estimated 6.36 million tons of ferrous metals recycled, a 33.1% recycling rate. Aluminum generation was estimated at 3.89 million tons, with 670,000 tons recycled, 560,000 tons combusted with energy recovery, and 2.66 million tons landfilled.
| Material stream, U.S. EPA 2018 | Generated | Recycled | Other reported destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total metals in MSW | 25.6 million tons | 8.72 million tons | 13.93 million tons landfilled |
| Ferrous metals in MSW | 19.2 million tons | 6.36 million tons | 33.1% recycling rate |
| Aluminum in MSW | 3.89 million tons | 670,000 tons | 2.66 million tons landfilled |
Ferrous metals and steel
Ferrous metals were the largest metal category in the EPA’s 2018 MSW estimates. In a separate material-specific estimate, EPA reported that ferrous metals from durable goods were recycled at 27.8%, equal to 4.7 million tons. The category therefore looks different depending on whether the measure covers all ferrous metals in MSW or only ferrous metals associated with durable goods.
Steel cans performed better than the broader ferrous-metal stream. EPA estimated that 70.9% of steel cans were recycled in 2018, representing 1.1 million tons. EPA also found that about 510,000 tons of other steel packaging were recycled. That other packaging included strapping, crowns, and drums.
Steel packaging overall had an estimated 2.2 million tons generated and 1.6 million tons recycled in 2018. EPA reported a 73.8% recycling rate for this packaging category. The steel-can estimate and the broader steel-packaging estimate use related but distinct categories, so their percentages should not be treated as interchangeable.
The EPA also estimated that the recycling rate for all materials in appliances, including ferrous metals, was 59.8% in 2018. For ferrous metals recovered specifically from shredded appliances, the estimate was 3.1 million tons. These measures describe recovery in appliance processing rather than the recycling rate of every metal-containing product.
USGS supplied a more recent, broader scrap-market view. It estimated U.S. apparent consumption of iron and steel scrap at 57 million tons in 2025. Raw steel production, estimated at 82 million tons in 2025, was the leading use for iron and steel scrap. USGS also estimated that the U.S. scrap recycling rate averaged 80% to 90% over the past decade. That long-term rate is a USGS estimate for scrap recycling and is not directly comparable with EPA’s 2018 MSW rate.
Aluminum recycling
Aluminum recycling rates varied by product category in the EPA’s 2018 estimates. Aluminum containers and packaging had an estimated recycling rate of 34.9%. Beer and soft drink cans had a higher estimated rate of 50.4%, equal to 0.67 million tons recycled.
EPA estimated total aluminum packaging generation at 1.92 million tons in 2018 and total aluminum packaging recycling at 670,000 tons. The same 670,000-ton figure and 34.9% rate appear in EPA’s material-specific aluminum data. EPA’s 2018 tables also estimated 4.13 million tons of total metals in containers and packaging generated and 2.3 million tons recycled; those totals include metals beyond aluminum.
For aluminum across MSW rather than packaging alone, EPA estimated 3.89 million tons generated in 2018. It estimated 670,000 tons recycled, 560,000 tons combusted with energy recovery, and 2.66 million tons landfilled. The landfill figure shows why packaging rates should not be generalized to all aluminum-containing MSW.
USGS reported newer aluminum recovery estimates for 2025. It estimated that U.S. aluminum recovered from purchased scrap totaled about 3.6 million tons. Of that recovered aluminum, 56% came from new scrap and 44% came from old scrap. USGS also estimated that aluminum recovered from old scrap equaled about 28% of apparent consumption in 2025.
New scrap is material generated during manufacturing, while old scrap comes from products that have reached the end of their useful lives. Because the USGS figures concern purchased scrap and apparent consumption, they measure a different part of the lifecycle than EPA’s MSW generation and disposal estimates.
Other nonferrous metals and batteries
EPA estimated other nonferrous metals generation at 2.5 million tons in 2018. Lead in batteries accounted for about 1.7 million tons of that generation. EPA estimated about 1.7 million tons of other nonferrous metals recycling, 80,000 tons combusted with energy recovery, and 740,000 tons landfilled.
Battery lead had an especially high reported recovery figure. EPA estimated recycled battery lead at about 99% in 2018. This rate applies to recycled battery lead, not to all other nonferrous metals. The distinction matters because lead batteries represented a large share of the category’s generation, while the category also includes other materials.
The EPA’s figures leave several ways to describe the same stream: generation by material, recovery of a particular battery component, and destinations for the broader other-nonferrous category. These should be read as separate indicators rather than combined into a new rate.
Appliances and durable goods
Major appliances generated an estimated 5.25 million tons in 2018, according to EPA’s durable-goods data. EPA estimated 3.14 million tons recycled and 2.11 million tons landfilled. Ferrous metals recovered from shredded appliances were estimated at 3.1 million tons.
Small appliances had a much lower reported recycling share. EPA estimated small-appliance generation at 2.16 million tons in 2018. Only 5.6% of small-appliance waste was estimated to be recycled, while 18.5% was combusted for energy recovery and 75.9% was landfilled. Those percentages describe small-appliance waste, not all appliances.
The broader durable-goods category was also dominated by disposal. EPA estimated total durable-goods generation at 57.1 million tons in 2018. Recycling was estimated at 10.6 million tons, or an 18.5% recycling rate. Combustion with energy recovery accounted for 9.1 million tons, and landfilling accounted for 37.4 million tons.
EPA separately estimated furniture and furnishings generation at 12.08 million tons in 2018. It also estimated total miscellaneous durable-goods generation at 24.8 million tons, with 20 million tons landfilled. The latter represented 81.7% of miscellaneous durable-goods generation.
Tires were another durable-goods stream with distinct destinations. EPA estimated 2.7 million tons of tires combusted with energy recovery in 2018, equal to 41.5% of tire generation. About 1.2 million tons were landfilled, equal to 18.5% of tire generation. These tire figures are included to show the durable-goods context; they are not metal recycling rates.
Metal packaging
Packaging results were stronger than the overall MSW metal result in the EPA’s 2018 estimates. Total metals in containers and packaging amounted to 4.13 million tons generated, with 2.3 million tons recycled. Within that total, steel packaging generated 2.2 million tons and recycled 1.6 million tons, for a reported 73.8% rate.
Aluminum packaging generated 1.92 million tons and recycled 670,000 tons, for a reported 34.9% rate. Beer and soft drink cans alone reached an estimated 50.4% recycling rate, or 0.67 million tons recycled. The contrast between steel packaging and aluminum packaging is one of the clearest differences in the EPA’s material-specific 2018 figures.
| Packaging category, U.S. EPA 2018 | Generated | Recycled | Reported rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel packaging | 2.2 million tons | 1.6 million tons | 73.8% |
| Aluminum packaging | 1.92 million tons | 670,000 tons | 34.9% |
| Beer and soft drink cans | Not separately stated | 0.67 million tons | 50.4% |
| Total metals in containers and packaging | 4.13 million tons | 2.3 million tons | Not separately stated |
Recent scrap and automobile figures
USGS estimated that more than 13 million tons of steel were recycled from automobiles each year, equal to about 17 million cars. This is a USGS estimate presented in its 2026 Mineral Commodity Summaries for iron and steel scrap; the underlying annual period is expressed as more than 13 million tons per year rather than as a single 2025 total.
USGS also reported processing capacity and activity for 2023. The five leading processors of steel scrap accounted for 26 million tons processed among 354 facilities in 2023. This figure describes the leading processors and the facilities associated with that reported processing total, not the entire U.S. scrap industry.
Taken together, the EPA and USGS figures describe two scales of metal recovery. EPA’s 2018 estimates track materials entering MSW and durable-goods categories, including recycling, combustion with energy recovery, and landfilling. USGS’s 2025 estimates track purchased aluminum scrap, iron and steel scrap consumption, steel production, and longer-term scrap recycling. Keeping those scopes and dates separate is essential when comparing metal recycling statistics.