Study Shows Importance of Recycling Industry to U.S. Economy

What role does the recycling industry play in the U.S. economy? Is it significant or not worth the effort? The U.S. EPA through a cooperative agreement with the National Recycling Coalition, recently released the first comprehensive nationwide study on this topic, the U.S. Recycling Economic Information Study. It clearly:* Shows the investment community that recycling is a viable, established industry with a proven track record. * Identifies business opportunities for entrepreneurs based on emerging commodity areas and industry sectors. * Provides recycling and reuse advocates and government agencies with information to build support for the industry. The study examined economic data from 26 different types of reuse and recycling businesses, from local thrift stores to major paper recycling companies. The U.S. recycling industry consists of over 56,000 businesses that gross some $236 billion in annual revenue. The industry employs over 1.1 million people with a payroll of $37 billion.As a driver of economic activity, the recycling industry compares favorably to other key industries, such as automobile manufacturing and mining. Recycling far outpaces the waste management industry because it adds value to materials. The industry contributes significantly to job creation and generally pays above the average national wage. Investing in local […]

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