Waste Recycling Services Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Product (Paper and Paperboard, Plastic, Metals, Glass, Bulbs & Batteries Electronics, Others), By Application (Industrial, Municipal, Others), By Region, By Competition 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 108.93 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	5.98%
Fastest Growing Segment	Industrial
Largest Market	Asia Pacific
Market Size (2031)	USD 154.34 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Waste Recycling Services Market will grow from USD 108.93 Billion in 2025 to USD 154.34 Billion by 2031 at a 5.98% CAGR. The Global Waste Recycling Services Market encompasses the collection, sorting, and reprocessing of discarded materials—such as metals, plastics, and paper—to convert them into reusable secondary raw materials for manufacturing. The market is fundamentally supported by stringent government environmental regulations that mandate landfill diversion and impose producer responsibility, alongside global initiatives fostering a circular economy to mitigate resource depletion. Furthermore, the escalating cost of virgin resources compels industries to systematically adopt recycled alternatives, thereby solidifying the sector's long-term economic necessity distinct from transient technological trends.

Nevertheless, market expansion faces a significant impediment in the form of global commodity price volatility, which can render recycling operations economically precarious during periods of low industrial demand. This vulnerability is evident in recent volume fluctuations within major material segments. According to the Bureau of International Recycling, in 2024, the consumption of recycled steel in key monitored regions decreased by 1% compared to the previous year, totaling approximately 460 million metric tons. Such instability in material uptake creates financial uncertainty for service providers, potentially delaying essential infrastructure investments required for capacity scaling.

Key Market Drivers

The enforcement of stringent government regulations acts as a primary catalyst for the waste recycling services sector. Legislative bodies are increasingly implementing landfill bans and extended producer responsibility schemes that mandate higher recycling rates, thereby forcing municipalities to upgrade collection capabilities. To support compliance with these rigorous standards, public entities are funneling substantial capital into modernization projects. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, September 2024, in the 'Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling' press release, the administration announced over $100 million in grants to expand recycling infrastructure and waste management systems across the country.

Concurrently, the escalating generation of electronic waste necessitates specialized recycling solutions, creating a high-growth avenue within the market. As consumer electronics lifecycles shorten, the volume of discarded devices containing recoverable precious metals has surged, compelling providers to deploy advanced separation technologies to recover value and mitigate toxicity. According to UNITAR, March 2024, in the 'Global E-waste Monitor 2024', the world generated a record 62 billion kilograms of e-waste in 2022, marking an 82% increase since 2010. To manage these complex material streams and sustain volume growth, major operators continue to expand their processing footprints. According to Republic Services, in 2024, the company reported marketing approximately 2.3 million tons of externally generated recyclable commodities during the prior fiscal year.

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Key Market Challenges

Global commodity price volatility constitutes a severe impediment to the growth of the Global Waste Recycling Services Market by destabilizing the financial viability of recovery operations. When industrial demand for raw materials fluctuates, the market value of secondary resources often drops precipitously, rendering the capital-intensive processes of sorting and reprocessing economically unsustainable. This unpredictability creates a high-risk environment that discourages service providers from committing to essential long-term facility upgrades or technology investments, effectively stalling the sector's capacity to scale.

The direct impact of this instability is evident in the paper recycling sector, where market dynamics have recently suppressed performance metrics. According to the Confederation of European Paper Industries, in 2024, the recycling rate for paper and cardboard within the European sector decreased by 4.2% compared to the previous year. Such declines highlight how price and demand volatility directly hampers market expansion, as recycling entities are forced to retrench rather than expand operations during periods of unfavorable economic conditions.

Key Market Trends

The proliferation of robotic waste processing automation is fundamentally reshaping facility operations by addressing chronic labor shortages and increasing material purity beyond human capabilities. Unlike traditional manual sorting, which is limited by speed and fatigue, AI-driven robotic systems utilize advanced computer vision to identify and separate contaminants with high precision, ensuring that recovered materials meet the strict quality standards required by manufacturers. This technological shift is maximizing throughput efficiency and operational resilience. According to Letsrecycle.com, December 2024, in the 'SPECIAL REPORT: AI insights from 2024', Recycleye reported that its AI-powered robotic units achieved an increase in average pick rate to 62 picks per minute, significantly outperforming manual sorting benchmarks.

Simultaneously, the growth of lithium-ion battery recycling infrastructure is accelerating to secure critical minerals for the energy transition, distinct from general e-waste management. As the demand for electric vehicles intensifies, the sector is prioritizing the development of specialized hydrometallurgical facilities capable of recovering high-value battery-grade materials like lithium, nickel, and cobalt from end-of-life battery packs and manufacturing scrap. This focus on closing the battery supply chain is driving substantial production volumes. According to Li-Cycle, January 2025, in the 'Preliminary Commercial and Operational Highlights for 2024' press release, the company produced approximately 5,370 tonnes of black mass and equivalents in the full year 2024, underscoring the scaling of industrial capacity to support the circular battery economy.

Segmental Insights

The Industrial segment constitutes the fastest-growing category within the Global Waste Recycling Services Market, primarily driven by accelerating industrialization and heightened regulatory pressure. Manufacturing entities increasingly adopt recycling services to comply with stringent mandates from institutions such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding hazardous and non-hazardous waste disposal. Furthermore, the rising cost of raw materials compels facilities to prioritize resource recovery and circular economy practices. This shift minimizes landfill reliance and operational expenses, ensuring that industrial operators remain compliant while optimizing their supply chain efficiency through material reclamation.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific dominates the global waste recycling services market, driven by rapid industrialization and extensive urbanization in key economies such as China and India. This regional leadership stems from the critical requirement to manage substantial waste volumes generated by expanding manufacturing sectors and growing populations. Additionally, governments are increasingly enforcing strict waste disposal standards to mitigate environmental impact. For example, policies enforced by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment have significantly bolstered domestic recycling infrastructure capabilities. Consequently, the combination of high waste generation and regulatory pressure sustains the region's primary market position.

Recent Developments

• In October 2025, WM opened a new recycling facility in Fort Worth, Texas, representing a significant investment of $62 million. The state-of-the-art plant is equipped with advanced automation and artificial intelligence technology, enabling it to process up to 144,000 tons of recyclable material annually. This facility allows for the collection and sorting of a wider range of plastics, including polypropylene containers, which were previously difficult to process. The opening is part of the company’s broader enterprise-wide plan to invest in upgraded recycling infrastructure across North America to support increased demand for recycled content products.
• In August 2025, Veolia Australia and New Zealand announced a partnership with EverestLabs to deploy artificial intelligence and robotics at a material recovery facility in Perth. This collaboration marked the first international deployment of EverestLabs’ technology, which utilizes AI-powered vision systems to identify and sort recyclable materials in real-time. The initiative aimed to digitize and automate sorting operations, thereby increasing material recovery rates and addressing labor challenges. By integrating these advanced robotic systems, Veolia sought to enhance operational efficiency and improve the transparency of the recycling value chain in the region.
• In December 2024, SUEZ entered into a strategic framework partnership with the Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC) to advance the circular economy within Saudi Arabia. This collaboration focuses on developing critical infrastructure for waste-to-energy projects and enhancing the treatment of municipal, medical, and hazardous waste. The agreement aligns with the country's Vision 2030 goals and includes initiatives for decarbonization, such as biochar production. The partnership leverages SUEZ's historical expertise in waste management to support the Kingdom's ecological transition and diversify its waste recycling capabilities.
• In April 2024, LyondellBasell announced the opening of a plastics recycling joint venture in Zhaoqing, China, established in collaboration with Genox Recycling. The facility utilizes mechanical recycling technology to process plastic waste and produce new polymers, which expands the company's CirculenRecover product portfolio. This strategic move is designed to support the growth of customers in the region by providing local recycling solutions and contributing to a circular economy for plastics. The joint venture operates under the name Guangdong Genox LyondellBasell New Material Co., Ltd. and aims to expand the company's capability across the entire plastics recycling value chain.

Key Market Players

• Waste Management, Inc.
• Republic Services, Inc.
• Suez Environnement SA
• Veolia Environnement SA
• Biffa plc
• Viridor Waste Management Ltd.
• Waste Connections, Inc.
• Clean Harbors, Inc.
• Covanta Holding Corporation
• Stericycle, Inc

By Product	By Application	By Region
Paper and Paperboard Plastic Metals Glass Bulbs & Batteries Electronics Others	Industrial Municipal Others	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Waste Recycling Services Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Waste Recycling Services Market, By Product:

• Paper and Paperboard
• Plastic
• Metals
• Glass
• Bulbs & Batteries Electronics
• Others

• Waste Recycling Services Market, By Application:

• Industrial
• Municipal
• Others

• Waste Recycling Services Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE