Here are the sad facts. Using the EPA’s last statistics for recycling, 292.4 million tons of materials were generated in 2018. That’s almost five pounds of waste per person every day. Of that, only 69 million tons were properly recycled and 25 million tons were composted. That’s only 32.1% that was recycled.

There is so much room for improvement. Paper and cardboard are the most commonly recycled materials at 66.54%. Metals are second at 12.62%. Glass and plastic recycling are low at just over 4.4% each. It’s time to change, and we could take lessons from other countries around the world to make many much-needed improvements.

Who Are the Global Leaders in Recycling?

Check out the 10 countries with the highest recycling rates in terms of glass, metal, paper, and plastic according to Yale’s Environmental Performance Index. As a note, the total recycling rate in Yale’s study is 14.8%.

• South Korea – 67.1%
• Samoa – 57.6%
• Benin – 56.9%
• Iceland – 55.5%
• Australia – 52.9%
• Vanuatu – 52.9%
• Singapore – 51.7%
• Philippines – 51.7%
• Germany – 49.8%
• Vietnam – 46%

With those 10 countries doing well when it comes to recycling of common household items, it’s worth taking a closer look as to why they’re so successful.

Recycling Policies in the Countries with the Best Recycling Rates

What makes these recycling global leaders successful? 

1. South Korea
In South Korea, recycling must be carefully recycled by type and placed in color-coded garbage bags. They’re sorted and separated into electronic waste, food waste, general waste, large waste, and recyclables. Each colored bag goes into an appropriate bin where it’s processed in the following manner.

• Electronic Waste – Takeback programs with electronics stores when buying new items or drop-offs at government offices and recycling centers.
• Food Waste – Food waste is deposited in food waste bins that are conveniently located in residential areas.
• Large Waste – Appliances and furniture are examples of large waste. They require a special disposal sticker that’s purchased from a local district office. After applying this sticker, they are placed curbside.

Recyclables are further sorted into eight categories with specific instructions to follow before depositing them in the correct bins in business districts, public areas, and residential areas. 

• Boxes and Other Paper – Remove any residue, fold clean boxes, and place in black bins.
• Cans – Must be emptied and placed in gray bins.
• Clear Plastic Bottles – Remove labels and place in yellow bins.
• Glass – Empty the jar or bottle and place in orange bins.
• Paper Packaging – Fold it flat and place in green bins.
• Plastic – Must be wasted and deposited in blue bins.
• Plastic Bags and Wrappers – Must be washed and placed in purple bins.

2. Samoa
Since 2018, Samoa has banned plastic shopping bags, packaging, Styrofoam, straws, food containers, and cups. The government pays for nationwide recycling, where residents place all trash and recycling in the same bags. Workers sort and prepare accepted recyclables on their own.

3. Benin
Benin uses a different approach. Some goods have an ecotax that helps pay for recycling, which would otherwise pollute the country. There’s also a “polluter pays” aspect to this by making importers pay the tax when importing goods into the country.

4. Iceland
Like South Korea, Iceland is moving from zero-sort arrangements. Residents need to separate food waste, glass, metal, paper, plastic, and textiles. Some recyclables, such as pill bottles or blister packs, are recycled with the pharmacy where they came from.

5. Australia
In Australia, only five items are recycled and placed into yellow bins. They include cans, cardboard, glass, paper, and plastic containers and bottles. The simplified process makes it easy for residents to understand what can be recycled through curbside programs.

6. Vanuatu
Community-based recycling programs ensure that residents of Vanuatu can access recycling. Bans on single-use plastic are also an important part of the island’s successful recycling rates.

7. Singapore
Singapore’s National Recycling Programme is a zero-sort system where glass, metal, paper, and plastic go together in curbside bins after being rinsed. Workers at Material Recovery Facilities sort and prepare the items for recycling.

8. Philippines
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act requires producers to handle their plastic packaging waste through every stage of their lifecycle. Because of this. Coca-Cola established a nationwide collection program for recycling PET bottles. Bans on single-use plastics are also in place in some communities.

9. Germany
Germany’s Circular Economy Act of 2012 established clear policies on sorting and recycling different materials. Communities and stores often have these colored recycling bins available for convenient recycling.

• Blue – Cardboard and paper
• Brown – Biodegradables
• Red – Glass, except for glass items with a bottle return, which go back to the store
• Grey/Black – Residual items
• Yellow – Plastic and metal 

Additional recycling bins for batteries, electronics, and textiles are in many retailers.

10. Vietnam

EPR rules ensure that producers pay for the cost of recycling. The fees range from 0.5% to 22% of the product value and go up every few years. Consumers are to recycle many more items than you recycle in the U.S., including cosmetics. 

Steps Towards Change

What will it take to change? Here are some things we could start doing in the U.S.

1. Cohesive Recycling Policies
Making recycling rules standard across the U.S. would help a lot. One district may not accept cardboard pizza boxes while another does. 

In New York City, curbside recycling is possible for electronics. In large residential buildings, drop-off bins are found within the building. This makes it very easy to recycle e-waste, yet curbside recycling for electronics is uncommon in many suburban or rural communities.

With standard recycling policies that apply to every community, there does need to be heightened education. People need clear policies with guidelines that make it easy to determine exactly what is recycled, how it’s recycled, and what should go into the trash.

2. Collect Bottle and Can Deposits
Deposit returns schemes (DRS) are already in use in some states. When consumers purchase beverages in cans or bottles, they pay a deposit. They get that deposit back when they return the container to a bottle return facility.
States with existing DRS rules are:

• California (Since 1986) – 5 and 10 cents (depends on the container size)
• Connecticut (Since 1978) – 5 cents
• Hawaii (Since 2002) – 5 cents
• Iowa ((Since 1978) – 5 cents 
• Maine (Since 1976) – 15 cents (liquor and wine)
• Massachusetts (Since 1981) – 5 cents
• Michigan (Since 1976) – 10 cents 
• New York (Since 1982) – 5 cents 
• Oregon (Since 1971) – 2 cents (refillable) or 10 cents 
• Vermont – 5 cents or 15 cents (liquor)

3. End Zero-Sort
Most of the successful recycling policies revolve around mandatory waste separation, where households must sort their own recyclables. It would end zero-sort policies that made recycling easier for people, but it’s not been a big success. 

4. Increase the Use of Extended Producer Responsibility
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is also working well. Making the producers responsible for taking back their plastic, glass, and paper is effective in keeping recyclables from entering landfills. 

5. Make Recycling More Convenient
In most areas, the only recyclables accepted through curbside programs are cardboard, glass metal, paper, and plastic. The list varies from one town to the next. A standardized system where there are convenient recycling bins would help a lot.

While it’s up to recycling facilities in each district what they do and don’t take, you can do your part by recycling as much as you can. Recycle Nation’s online guide makes it easy to enter an item and your location and find exactly where you can go to responsibly recycle your items.