The line graph presents the share of recycled waste and the total volume of recovered waste in the United States between 1960 and 2011. Overall, both the recycling rate and total waste recovery increased significantly throughout the period.
From 1960 to 1970, the proportion of garbage being recycled each year remained relatively steady at just over 6%. This figure then grew slightly over the next 15 years to 10.1% in 1985. On the other hand, the amount of waste recovered climbed more than threefold during the same period, from 5.6 million tons in 1960 to 16.7 million tons in 1985.
Following this, total waste recovery rose sharply between 1990 and 2011, peaking at 86.9 million tons in the final year. Similarly, the recycling rate continued to grow from 16% in 1990 to 34.7% in 2011, although its growth slowed after 1995. Despite this upward trend, the recyling rate consistently lagged behind the total annual amount of waste recovered.