Marketplace Sustainability

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found 82% of the U.S. population has access to a community recycling program that accepts pizza boxes.  

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found 94% of Americans have access to a community paper recycling program.  

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found 79% of Americans have access to residential-curbside recycling programs- an increase of more than 14 million people since our 2014 study.

AF&PA commissioned the 2021 Access to Recycling Study. The study is a comprehensive national report that tracks and measures the growth of access to community paper and paperboard recycling in the U.S. The study shows 94% of Americans have access to community paper recycling programs.

As we look ahead to 2022, there are potentially other states and jurisdictions that will consider EPR approaches that could have negative consequences for the paper and wood products industry.  

We encourage communities to update their residential recycling programs’ guidelines to explicitly accept pizza boxes that are free of food.

What happens after you put your recycling in the bin and drop it at the curb? Does it actually get recycled? Yes! At paper mills across the country, recycled paper is used to make the essential products millions of people rely on.

From the replanting of trees that supply fiber and enhance the environment to recycling paper and packaging that is turned into new products, our industry is contributing to a more sustainable future. AF&PA member company contributions to a circular value chain are reflected in green.

Question: After your recycling is picked up, where does it go? Answer: Once the recycling truck has picked up your paper and other recyclables, it heads over to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).

The Paperboard Packaging Alliance (PPA) announced winners of its 2021 Student Design Challenge, a student competition to foster awareness and appreciation of paperboard packaging.

The Dynamic Fiber Flows model measures the complex behaviors and trade-offs associated with changes to paper recovery and recovered fiber utilization in paper products based on system-wide interactions in the paper value chain to better inform decision makers. This download includes the project…

Take on germs with paper towels. Paper towels are widely recognized for their role in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene. And, each year the U.S. and Canada grow significantly more wood than is harvested.