New Index Reveals the States That Are the Best at Recycling

How often do you recycle? Are there easily accessible recycling opportunities where you live? It can be challenging to recycle as much as one may wish to in areas that do not have the infrastructure (or cultural incentive) to support it. Overall, Americans have a recycling rate of 32%, but this varies significantly across the country. So which U.S. states are best and worst at recycling? The team at BottleStore.com has created this impressive and detailed index to rank each state’s overall recycling efforts.

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I absolutely love indexes like this because they provide a more comprehensive story through multiple sources of data. They used four different metrics, including each state’s recycling rate of all CCPM (common containers and packing materials), pounds of waste per person that is recycled instead of being sent to the landfill, and two different state recycling policy and law “bonuses”. If the state has a bottle return system in addition to curbside services and/or has a policy that supports high CCPM recycling, 25 points are awarded for each. Two states known for their abundant natural beauty have the highest scores – Maine, the Pine Tree State, and Vermont, the Green Mountain State. Alaska and Mississippi are in last place. I really love how they broke it down into categories too, including recycling rates of cardboard, rigid plastics, PET bottles, aluminum cans, steel cans, and glass bottles and jars. This can be helpful for readers who wish to see how their state could improve and may empower them to recycle more in areas where their state may be lacking. The colors are beautiful too – all in all, an aesthetically pleasing and informative chart!