Which Is the Most Recycled Material in the World?

Steel is recycled more than any other material on Earth. Over 630 million tonnes of steel are recycled annually — more than paper, plastic, aluminium, and glass combined. Steel can be recycled infinitely without losing quality, and recycling it uses about 74% less energy than producing new steel from iron ore. In North America, the recycling rate for steel cans exceeds 70%, and for structural steel it reaches about 85-90%. Automobiles are the most recycled consumer product: about 80% of a car weight (mostly steel) is recycled. Aluminium is the most valuable material to recycle (saving 95% of production energy), but steel leads in total volume.