33 Million Tons of Cardboard Recycled in U.S. in 2025, AF&PA Says

The U.S. paper recycling rate remained at 61%-65% in 2025, while 70%-75% of cardboard available for recovery was recycled, according to annual data released by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). Around 45 million tons of paper were recycled during the year, including more than 33 million tons of cardboard.

The recycled volume was equivalent to about 123,000 tons of paper per day. Nearly half of the paper recovered in 2025 was used to produce containerboard, the material used to manufacture corrugated cardboard boxes.

Recovered Paper Supply Declines

The amount of recovered paper available for recycling declined in 2025 as U.S. paper and paperboard production decreased, AF&PA said. Despite the lower supply, the share of available paper recovered for recycling remained broadly stable.

U.S. paper mills used 31.4 million tons of recycled paper to manufacture new products in 2025, down 1.3 million tons from the previous year.

The figures point to a year of lower recovered-paper volumes amid changes in the U.S. paper manufacturing market, while recycling remained relatively high compared with the amount of material available for recovery.

Cardboard Remains a Major Recovered Fiber Grade

More than 33 million tons of cardboard were recycled in the U.S. in 2025, corresponding to a recycling rate of 70%-75%. Cardboard collected from households, businesses, retailers and other commercial and institutional sources is processed into recovered fiber for use in new paper and packaging products.

Nearly half of all recycled paper was converted into containerboard in 2025. Recovered fiber also supplied production of other paper products, including tissue, printing paper and packaging grades.

AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock said the 2025 recycling rate demonstrated the continued scale of the U.S. paper recovery system. She said the industry remains focused on maintaining paper recovery and reuse as part of the material's lifecycle.

Market Conditions Shape Recovered Fiber Flows

The decline in paper and paperboard production affected the amount of material entering the recycling stream in 2025. At the same time, paper mills continued to consume tens of millions of tons of recovered fiber in manufacturing.

The balance between recovered-paper generation, collection and mill consumption remains an important factor for the U.S. recovered fiber market, particularly as containerboard continues to account for a large share of recycled paper demand.

Source: The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA)

SUNSHINE Spotlight: U.S. paper recycling remained at 61%-65% in 2025, with more than 33 million tons of cardboard recovered and 31.4 million tons of recycled paper used by domestic mills.