Published: September 2026
Updated Recession Risk Analysis & Forecasts
The Recycling Centers segment has achieved strong 8.4% annual growth over the past three years, reaching $11.0 billion in 2025. This materials recovery category provides collection, sorting, processing, and marketing of recyclable commodities addressing resource conservation and waste diversion requirements. Growth drivers include sustainability initiatives, landfill diversion mandates, corporate environmental commitments, and recognition of resource value in waste streams. The industry continues to evolve through technology deployment enhancing sorting capabilities, market development for recovered materials, and service integration while adapting to commodity price volatility through enhanced operational efficiency and higher-value material recovery targeting more stable end markets.
Recycling Centers Industry Definition
Companies in this industry operate facilities for separating and sorting recyclable materials from waste streams. Core activities include collecting mixed recyclables, sorting materials by type, processing materials for resale, baling processed materials, and marketing recovered resources. These businesses serve as critical infrastructure in waste diversion systems, transforming mixed recyclables into sorted commodity streams that can be reprocessed into new products. They employ specialized machinery and trained personnel to efficiently separate various materials like paper, plastic, metal, and glass, creating value from materials that would otherwise enter disposal pathways.
Materials recovery facility (i.e., sorting recyclable materials) : Sorting, cleaning, and baling of commingled recyclable materials (except hazardous) : Waste recovery facility
Recycling Centers Industry Statistics
This market research report utilizes the most extensive set of business surveys as the foundation for over 100 market research data sets with extensive historical data (2017-2025), statistics, trend analysis, and forecasts for 2026 & the next 5 years.
This report includes market size, growth, sales & cost trends, industry dynamics, operating expenses for 26 categories, profitability, employee productivity, 10 financial ratios, 31 balance sheet metrics, extensive statistics by state and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSAs), workforce composition statistics, market share for top 50 companies, inflation, payroll and pay range data on 46 jobs, product line breakdown, industry data sets segmented by business size, concentration, and business structure, and much more.
Below are a few of the statistics included in this extensive 78-page market research report:
MARKET SIZE
In 2025, industry revenue was $11.0 billion
NUMBER OF COMPANIES
There are 1,025 companies in the industry
MARKET GROWTH
The 5-year annual growth rate averaged 8.3%
MARKET SHARE
The top 4 companies have 9.3% market share
REVENUE PER LOCATION
The average sales per location is $7.8 million
INFLATION & PRICING
Over the past 5 years, inflation averaged 5.7%
For unprofitable firms, the avg. net loss is -5.5%
EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY
Revenue per employee is $416,766
OPERATING EXPENSE BENCHMARKS
2% of expenses is spent on professional services
PAY BENCHMARKS
In 2025, avg. pay per employee was $47,683
ORGANIZATIONAL BENCHMARKS
6% of employees are in business ops & finance
JOB PAY RANGES
The avg. hourly pay for finance jobs is $42.05
Instantly download the 2026 Recycling Centers U.S. Market Research Report to access over 100 data sets on the industry.
Recycling Centers Report Format
The 2026 Recycling Centers Market Research Report is 78 pages of extensive data, trends, forecasts, benchmarks, analysis, and charts on the industry. Below are select page images from the report and scroll further down for the table of contents and a sample of the report.
Sample Report
Download the full sample report below. The Recycling Centers Market Research Report will have the same format and data sets.
Table of Contents – Recycling Centers Report
1-2 Report Overview & Table of Contents
3 Industry Overview
– Methodology
– Industry Definition & Examples
– Market Commentary
4 Industry Snapshot – Revenue & Growth
5 Industry Snapshot – Costs & Profitability
Section One
REVENUE & GROWTH BENCHMARKS
7 Industry Growth Details
– Industry Revenues
– Number of Companies & Locations
– 2017-2030 Trends & Forecasts
8 Growth Benchmarks
– Revenues per Company & Locations
– Locations per Company
– 2017-2030 Trends & Forecasts
9 Breakdown of Product Lines
– Percentage of Revenue from Product Lines
10 BCG Income vs. Revenue Growth Matrix
– Service Subsectors vs. Industry
11 Total Revenue by Industry Segments
– Concentration (Top 4, next 4, next 12, next 30 largest companies)
– Business Size (1-4 employees, 5-9 employees, 10-19, 20-49, 50-99, 100-249, 250+)
– Business Structure (C-Corporations, S-Corporations, Partnerships, Sole Proprietorships)
– Franchise Segments
12 Total Revenue per State
– Revenue per State and State Rankings
13 Sales per Capita by State
14-17 Revenue per Metropolitan Statistical Area
18-21 Revenue per Capita per Metropolitan Statistical Area
22 Revenue per Company by Industry Segment
– Concentration, Business Size, & Business Structure
23 Revenue per Location by Industry Segment
– Concentration, Size, Structure, & Franchise
24 Revenue per Location by State
– Revenue per Location and State Rankings
25-28 Revenue per Location per MSA
29 Industry Segmentation by Business Size
30 Industry Consolidation Analysis
– By Business Size Segments
– Revenue, Companies, Locations & Employees
– 2020 vs. 2025 by Business Size
31 Industry Consolidation Benchmarks
32 Industry Segmentation by Top 50 Companies
– Segments include top 4, next 4, next 12, next 30, and top 50 companies by revenue
– Revenue, Locations, Employees & Payroll
33 Sector Concentration Benchmarks
– % of Sector Revenue from the Top 50 Companies for 12 Sectors
34 Industry Segmentation by Business Structure
– Revenue, Companies, Locations, Employees & Payroll
35 Pricing & Inflation
– 2017-2030 Trends & Forecasts
– Monthly Inflation Figures for the Past 4 Years
36 Service Subsector Growth
– Revenue and 5-Year CAGR for 12 Subsectors
37 Service Subsector Analysis
– Revenue per Company & Location
38 Service Subsector Analysis
– Revenue & Payroll per Employee
SECTION TWO
COST & FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
40 Profitability & Financial Ratio Analysis
– Percent of Companies that are Profitable
– Average Net Income as a Percent of Revenue
– Financial Ratios – 10 ratios, such as Total Asset
Turnover, Assets to Liabilities, Return on
Net Worth, Solvency Ratio
41 Balance Sheet Benchmarks
– Assets and Liabilities indexed to industry revenue at 100
– Current & Non-Current Assets
– Short-term, Long-term Liabilities, & Net Worth
42 Operating Expenses
– 2017-2030 Trends & Forecasts
43 Operating Expenses by Company & Location
– Operating Expenses per Company & Location
– 2017-2030 Trends & Forecasts
44 Operating Expense Detail
– Employee Expenses: Annual Payroll, Health Insurance, Defined Benefit Pension Plans, Defined Contribution Plans, Other Fringe Benefits, Contract Labor Costs, Incl. Temporary Help
– Property Expenses: Lease and Rent for Buildings, Offices, Stores, Repairs and Maintenance to Buildings, Purchased Electricity, Purchased Fuels (except motor fuels), Water, Sewer, Refuse, Other Utility Payments
– Equipment Expenses: Expensed Equipment: Lease and Rent for Machinery and Equip., Repairs, Maint. to Machinery and Equip., Depreciation and Amortization Charges, Other Materials, Parts, and Supplies
– IT Expenses: Data Processing & Other Computer Services: Communication Services: Expensed Purchases of Software
– Miscellaneous Expenses: Advertising and Promotional Services, Professional and Technical Services, Taxes and License Fees
45 Productivity & Industry Employment
– Revenue per Employee
– Total Industry Employees
– Employees per Company
– 2017-2030 Trends & Forecasts
46 Employee Productivity by Segments
47 Employee Productivity by State
48-51 Employee Productivity per MSA
52 Industry Payroll
– Payroll per Employee, Company & Location
– 2017-2030 Trends & Forecasts
53 Workforce Composition Benchmarks
– 26 Job Categories
– Management & Finance
– Sales & Marketing
– Technology, Engineering, Science
– Service, Support & Training
– Operations
– Percent of Industry Employees
54 Job Categorization Pay Ranges
– 26 Job Categories
– Pay Bands – Bottom 10% & 25%, Mean, Top 25% & 10%
– Pay Bands (10%, 25%, Mean, 75%, 90%)
55 Top 20 Jobs Breakdown
– Percent of Total Employees by Job
– Rank Ordered by Top 20 Job Categories
56 Pay Ranges of Top 20 Jobs
57 Payroll per Company by Segments
58 Payroll per Location by Segments
59 Payroll per Employee by Segments
60 Payroll per Employee by State
61-64 Payroll per Employee per MSA
65 Employees per Company by Segments
– Concentration, Business Size, & Business Structure
66 Employees per Company by Segments
– Concentration, Business Size, Structure, & Franchise
67 Total Employment by State
68 Population to Every Employee by State
69-72 Total Employment per MSA
73 Locations per Company by Segments
74-77 Locations per MSA
78 About Kentley Insights
Report & Industry Details
NAICS Code: 562920
Number of Pages: 78
Format: PDF
Price: $295
Support Contact: Email us at support@kentleyinsights.com or call us at 1-800-613-3611
Key Questions Answered in this Market Research Report
How do professionals use this report?
Professionals utilize this report for industry research, market sizing and evaluation, forecasting, strategic planning, sales & marketing strategy, due diligence, valuations, benchmarking, streamlining, and other analyses.
What is the market size of the recycling centers industry?
This report covers the historical industry market size (2017-2025), and forecasts for 2026 and the next 5 years. This report also includes market share of the top 50 companies.
What is the outlook for the industry?
This report has dozens of market forecasts (2025 & 5 years) on total sales, companies, employees, productivity, inflation, compensation, operating expense, and others.
What industry analysis/data exists for the industry?
This report covers over 100+ data sets on the recycling centers industry. Check out the table of contents for all the data sets and analyses.
What segmentations are there on the recycling centers industry?
This report segments the industry many ways including by business size, concentration (Top 50 companies), business structure, state, MSAs, and product lines.
What are the financial metrics for the industry?
This report covers many financial metrics for the industry including profitability, growth, opex / revenue, 31 balance sheet items organized by liabilities, assets, and equity, and 10 financial metrics including return on sales, asset turnover, liability ratio, and net worth ratio.
What are important benchmarks for the industry?
Some of the most important benchmarks for the industry include market share, sales growth, employee productivity, operating expense breakdown, product line breakdown, span of control, and organizational composition. This report includes all of them and many more.
Recycling Centers Product Lines Analyzed
Nonresidential collection services for non-hazardous recyclable material
Recovery and preparation services for non-hazardous recyclable material
Transfer facility services for non-hazardous waste
Transportation of non-hazardous recyclable material by road
Residential collection services for non-hazardous recyclable material
Nonresidential collection services for non-hazardous industrial waste
Residential collection services for non-hazardous waste
Transportation of non-hazardous waste by road
Industry Jobs Analyzed
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers
Laborers and Material Movers
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
General and Operations Managers
Construction Laborers
Office Clerks, General
Logisticians and Project Management Specialists
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
Building Cleaning Workers
Miscellaneous Sales Representatives, Services
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers
Cost Estimators
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Environmental Science and Geoscience Technicians
States Covered
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) Covered
Abilene, TX
Akron, OH
Albany, OR
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
Albuquerque, NM
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
Ann Arbor, MI
Asheville, NC
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Austin-Round Rock, TX
Bakersfield, CA
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Bangor, ME
Barnstable Town, MA
Baton Rouge, LA
Battle Creek, MI
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
Bellingham, WA
Bend-Redmond, OR
Billings, MT
Binghamton, NY
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
Bloomington, IN
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA
Boise City, ID
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Bowling Green, KY
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Brunswick, GA
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
Canton-Massillon, OH
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
Cedar Rapids, IA
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
Clarksville, TN-KY
Cleveland-Elyria, OH
College Station-Bryan, TX
Colorado Springs, CO
Columbia, MO
Columbia, SC
Columbus, IN
Columbus, OH
Corpus Christi, TX
Corvallis, OR
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
Cumberland, MD-WV
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Danville, IL
Dayton, OH
Decatur, IL
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Dothan, AL
Duluth, MN-WI
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
East Stroudsburg, PA
Eau Claire, WI
El Centro, CA
Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
El Paso, TX
Erie, PA
Eugene, OR
Evansville, IN-KY
Fairbanks, AK
Fargo, ND-MN
Farmington, NM
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO
Flagstaff, AZ
Flint, MI
Florence, SC
Fort Collins, CO
Fort Wayne, IN
Fresno, CA
Glens Falls, NY
Grand Forks, ND-MN
Grand Junction, CO
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
Greeley, CO
Green Bay, WI
Greensboro-High Point, NC
Greenville, NC
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
Hammond, LA
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
Harrisonburg, VA
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC
Homosassa Springs, FL
Hot Springs, AR
Houma-Thibodaux, LA
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
Huntsville, AL
Idaho Falls, ID
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
Ithaca, NY
Jackson, MI
Jackson, MS
Jackson, TN
Jacksonville, FL
Janesville-Beloit, WI
Johnstown, PA
Jonesboro, AR
Joplin, MO
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
Kansas City, MO-KS
Kennewick-Richland, WA
Kingston, NY
Knoxville, TN
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
Lafayette, LA
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
Lake Charles, LA
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
Lancaster, PA
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
Lebanon, PA
Lewiston-Auburn, ME
Lexington-Fayette, KY
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
Longview, TX
Longview, WA
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Lubbock, TX
Madera, CA
Madison, WI
Manhattan, KS
Mankato-North Mankato, MN
Mansfield, OH
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
Medford, OR
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Merced, CA
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Midland, MI
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Missoula, MT
Mobile, AL
Modesto, CA
Morristown, TN
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
Muncie, IN
Muskegon, MI
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN
New Haven-Milford, CT
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL
Ocala, FL
Ogden-Clearfield, UT
Oklahoma City, OK
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
Owensboro, KY
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
Panama City, FL
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
Peoria, IL
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Pine Bluff, AR
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsfield, MA
Portland-South Portland, ME
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Port St. Lucie, FL
Prescott, AZ
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
Provo-Orem, UT
Pueblo, CO
Racine, WI
Raleigh, NC
Reno, NV
Richmond, VA
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Roanoke, VA
Rochester, NY
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA
Saginaw, MI
St. Cloud, MN
St. Joseph, MO-KS
St. Louis, MO-IL
Salem, OR
Salinas, CA
Salisbury, MD-DE
Salt Lake City, UT
San Angelo, TX
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Rosa, CA
Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
Sioux Falls, SD
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
Spartanburg, SC
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
Springfield, IL
Springfield, MA
Springfield, MO
Springfield, OH
Stockton-Lodi, CA
Syracuse, NY
Tallahassee, FL
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Toledo, OH
Trenton, NJ
Tucson, AZ
Tulsa, OK
Tyler, TX
Urban Honolulu, HI
Utica-Rome, NY
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
Victoria, TX
Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
Visalia-Porterville, CA
Waco, TX
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
Wausau, WI
Wheeling, WV-OH
Wichita, KS
Wilmington, NC
Winston-Salem, NC
Worcester, MA-CT
York-Hanover, PA
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
Yuma, AZ
About Kentley Insights
Kentley Insights is the leader in data-rich market research with coverage of over 1200 industries and 2000 product lines. All the top consulting firms, banks, accounting firms, private equity firms, and many of the Fortune 1000 depend on Kentley Insights for their in-depth market research needs. There is a reason why we are the only market research firm to offer a 100% Moneyback Guarantee.
