A recent study completed by the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory confirms the need to increase the quantity of waste cardboard and paper that is recycled. The study funded by the Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office resulted in a publication entitled Paper and Cardboard Waste in the United States: Geographic, Market and Energy Assessment. This monograph was authored by Anelia Milbrandt of the Strategic Energy and Analysis Center and was recently published in a specialist journal.  The analysis is based on data gathered in 2019 and extends previous work on waste destined for municipal landfills. It is estimated that there are 1,776 active landfills and 85 combustion facilities in the U.S.

Approximately 110 million metric tons of paper and cardboard waste were produced in 2019 with 56 percent deposited in landfills and 38 percent recycled. Cardboard and paper waste collectively represents a quarter of solid waste handled by municipalities and their contractors.

The financial analysis suggested that the commercial value of recycled products from waste cardboard and paper could attain $4 billion annually.  This value corresponds to the cost incurred for transport and management of landfills.