Americans Overwhelmingly Support Recycling, Yet Rates Remain Stubbornly Low and Many Don’t Get It Right

Keep America Beautiful research by The Harris Poll shows 87% of us believe in value of recycling, but the national recycling rate remains stuck at 32%

Stamford, CT, Nov. 3, 2025 — Support for recycling in the U.S. cuts across age groups, geographic regions, and political affiliations, according to a nationwide survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Keep America Beautiful® for America Recycles Day® 2025.* Butwhile 87% of Americans say recycling is important, confusion, inconsistent rules, and lack of access is keeping recycling rates low. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only about 32% of household waste is recycled or composted, a figure that has remained steady for nearly a decade.

According to the survey, nearly two-thirds (62%) of Americans give themselves an “A” or “B” grade for their recycling habits, but most failed basic questions about what can be recycled.

• Less than half knew the correct way to recycle a plastic bottle cap (it should be left on the bottle).

• Only about half knew that pizza boxes with cheese cannot be recycled.

• 55% mistakenly thought compostable items could be recycled with cans and bottles.

Despite these gaps, there are encouraging signs about Americans’ recycling beliefs:

• Nearly 9 in 10 Americans agree that recycling helps the economy.

• Three out of four (75%) correctly recognize that recycling saves more energy than it uses.

• 78% say they don’t believe recycling is a waste of time — they know it makes a difference.

“The good news is that Americans care about recycling—it’s a shared value that cuts across every generation and community,” said Jennifer Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “As this research clearly demonstrates, we must do more to help people do the right thing. Because every bottle, can, or pizza box placed in the right bin moves us closer to a cleaner, greener, more beautiful America.”

Created in 1997, America Recycles Day takes place each year on November 15 and is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting recycling and educating the public about its benefits. Keep America Beautiful invites the public to test their recycling knowledge with its online quiz at kab.org and to review local recycling guidelines before tossing items into the bin.

* This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Keep America Beautiful from October 9-14, 2025, among 2,070 adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within ±2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact McCall Vrydaghs (mvrydaghs@kab.org (opens in a new tab)).

facebookinstagramtwitteryoutubelinkedinspotifyitunes

About the Survey:

The 2025 America Recycles Day Omnibus Research was conducted online by The Harris Poll from October 9–14, 2025, among 2,070 U.S. adults. The study is accurate to within ±2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

About Keep America Beautiful®:

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Through initiatives that end littering, improve recycling, and beautify America’s communities, we envision a country where every community is clean, green, and beautiful. Join us on Facebook (opens in a new tab), Instagram (opens in a new tab), X (opens in a new tab), LinkedIn (opens in a new tab), and YouTube (opens in a new tab). Donate and take action at kab.org.