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Trash and Recycling

Generated and Recycled by Type of Container/Packaging

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Trash Generated

The charts below represent all trash generated from 1960-2007 in the United States broken down by type of container/packaging. The data is represented in thousands of tons.

Material 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2004 2005 2006 2007
Beer and Soft Drink Bottles (Glass) 1,400 5,580 6,740 5,640 5,710 7,010 7,180 7,500 7,710
Wine and Liquor Bottles (Glass) 1,080 1,900 2,450 2,030 1,910 1,570 1,700 1,680 1,670
Food and Other Bottles & Jars (Glass) 3,710 4,440 4,780 4,160 3,420 2,280 2,360 2,240 2,090
Beer and Soft Drink Cans (Steel) 640 1,570 520 150 0 0 0 0 0
Food and Other Cans (Steel) 3,760 3,540 2,850 2,540 2,630 2,450 2,130 2,510 2,440
Other Steel Packaging 260 270 240 200 240 240 240 240 240
Beer and Soft Drink Cans (Aluminum) 0 100 850 1,550 1,520 1,480 1,450 1,440 1,420
Other Cans (Aluminum) 0 60 40 20 50 50 80 110 40
Foil and Closures (Aluminum) 170 410 380 330 380 390 400 420 410
Corrugated Boxes (Paper/Paperboard) 7,330 12,760 17,080 24,010 30,210 31,490 30,930 31,430 31,230
Milk Cartons (Paper/Paperboard) 0 0 790 510 550 460 500 490 500
Folding Cartons (Paper/Paperboard) 0 0 3,820 4,300 5,820 5,410 5,530 5,450 5,530
Bags and Sacks (Paper/Paperboard) 0 0 3,380 2,440 1,490 1,270 1,120 1,080 1,140
Wrapping Papers (Paper/Paperboard) 0 0 200 110 0 0 0 0 0
Other Paperboard Packaging 3,840 4,830 230 290 200 170 160 160 150
Other Paper Packaging 2,940 3,810 850 1,020 1,670 1,480 1,400 1,400 1,390
Soft Drink Bottles (Plastics) 0 0 260 430 830 850 850 940 1,010
Milk Bottles (Plastics) 0 0 230 530 690 800 800 710 820
Bags and Sacks (Plastics) 0 0 390 940 1,650 1,810 1,640 1,830 1,010
Wraps (Plastics) 0 0 840 1,530 2,550 2,940 2,810 2,800 3,180
Other Containers (Plastics) 60 910 890 1,430 2,630 3,150 3,110 3,430 3,740
Other Plastics Packaging 60 1,180 790 2,040 2,840 3,270 3,210 3,200 3,870
Wood Packaging 2,000 2,070 3,940 8,180 8,120 8,430 8,520 8,480 8,540
Other Misc. Packaging 120 130 130 150 240 290 280 280 320

Trash Recycled

The charts below represent all trash recycled from 1960-2007 in the United States broken down by type of container/packaging. The data is represented in thousands of tons.

Material 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2004 2005 2006 2007
Beer and Soft Drink Bottles (Glass) 90 140 730 1,890 1,530 2,150 2,200 2,300 2,660
Wine and Liquor Bottles (Glass) 10 10 20 210 430 240 250 250 250
Food and Other Bottles & Jars (Glass) 0 0 0 520 920 340 350 330 310
Beer and Soft Drink Cans (Steel) 10 20 50 40 0 0 0 0 0
Food and Other Cans (Steel) 20 60 150 590 1,530 1,500 1,340 1,580 1,570
Other Steel Packaging 0 0 0 60 160 160 160 160 160
Beer and Soft Drink Cans (Aluminum) 0 10 320 990 830 670 650 650 690
Other Cans (Aluminum) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Foil and Closures (Aluminum) 0 0 0 20 30 40 40 40 40
Corrugated Boxes (Paper/Paperboard) 2,520 2,760 6,390 11,530 20,330 21,440 22,100 22,630 22,990
Milk Cartons (Paper/Paperboard) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Folding Cartons (Paper/Paperboard) 0 0 520 340 410 960 1,190 1,220 1,510
Bags and Sacks (Paper/Paperboard) 0 0 0 200 300 320 320 360 420
Wrapping Papers (Paper/Paperboard) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other Paperboard Packaging 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other Paper Packaging 220 350 300 0 0 0 0 0 0
Soft Drink Bottles (Plastics) 0 0 10 140 290 290 290 290 370
Milk Bottles (Plastics) 0 0 0 20 210 230 230 220 230
Bags and Sacks (Plastics) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wraps (Plastics) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other Containers (Plastics) 0 0 0 20 260 440 440 460 520
Other Plastics Packaging 0 0 0 20 90 90 90 180 90
Wood Packaging 0 0 0 130 1,240 1,290 1,310 1,310 1,320
Other Misc. Packaging 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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