Zinc waste recycling market seen reaching $2.72 billion by 2030

The Business Research Company says the zinc waste recycling and reusing market will rise from $1.98 billion in 2025 to $2.11 billion in 2026, with North America leading and Asia-Pacific growing fastest. The forecast points to stronger demand for circular-economy metals recovery as industries face tighter environmental pressure and look for lower-carbon supply chains.

Why it matters: - Zinc waste recycling is moving from a niche industrial practice to a larger part of metal supply chains. - The market outlook points to more demand for recycled metals, lower waste disposal, and less reliance on virgin zinc extraction. - The forecast also signals growing investment in technologies that support circular economy models and lower-carbon production.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released its Zinc Waste Recycling And Reusing Market Report 2026 on September 30, 2026. - The report estimates the market will grow from $1.98 billion in 2025 to $2.11 billion in 2026. - The report projects the market will reach $2.72 billion by 2030. - The report covers Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Africa. - The report says North America held the largest market share in 2025. - The report says Asia-Pacific will be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period. - Download a free sample of the report - View the full report

The details: - The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2025 to 2026. - The market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% through 2030. - Historic growth has been driven by rising demand for recycled metals, stricter environmental rules on metal waste disposal, increased zinc use in industrial sectors, broader adoption of galvanization and stronger resource conservation efforts. - Future growth drivers include more circular economy adoption, greater use of low-carbon metal production methods, higher investment in recycling infrastructure and more recovery of zinc from electric vehicle and electronics waste. - The report highlights emerging trends in automated metal sorting, efficient waste processing and innovative zinc recovery technologies. - Zinc waste recycling and reusing means recovering zinc from discarded industrial materials, metal scrap and waste products and reprocessing it into reusable zinc inputs for industrial use. - The practice is intended to reduce environmental impact, conserve natural resources and support sustainable metal use. - Eurostat reported in November 2024 that metal ores reached a circularity rate of 24.7% in 2023, up 2.2 percentage points from 2022.

Between the lines: - Sustainability is the central demand driver, not just a side benefit. - The market is benefiting from policy pressure, but also from economics: recycled zinc can reduce exposure to raw-material volatility and disposal costs. - North America's lead suggests established recycling infrastructure and industrial demand, while Asia-Pacific's growth points to faster expansion in manufacturing and recovery systems. - The report's emphasis on EV and electronics waste suggests the market is broadening beyond traditional scrap streams.

What's next: - The market will likely be shaped by how quickly recycling operators deploy automated sorting, recovery systems and lower-carbon processing methods. - More investment in infrastructure could improve collection and recovery rates for zinc-rich waste streams. - Demand should continue rising if circular-economy targets and emissions-reduction rules keep tightening. - The Business Research Company also says its 2026 reports now include market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrix graphics, Excel-based forecasting dashboards, market hotspots infographics and updated graphics and tables.

The bottom line: - Zinc waste recycling is becoming a growth market tied to both sustainability policy and industrial supply security.