A large influx of U.S. jobs may just come from the recycling industry, if the nation can increase its recycling rate, according to a recent report.
The report says that nearly 1.5 million more recycling jobs than were around in 2008 would be created if the national recycling rate reached 75% by 2030.
“Never before in our lifetime has it been more important to merge environmental progress with economic progress,” said Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “And this is a low-hanging fruit.”
The report, “More Jobs, Less Pollution: Growing the Recycling Economy in the U.S.,” prepared by Tellus Institute and Sound Resource Management, also said a higher recycling rate would mean reduced pollution and improved public health, along with stable employment bases.
According to the report, the 75% national recycling rate also would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 276 million metric tons by 2030. That is equivalent to 72 coal-fired power plants or taking 50 million cars off the road, the report said.
“Even if we got to 50% [recycling rate], we would still reduce 100 million tons of global warming pollution, and thatґs substantial,” Hershkowitz said. “I donґt want people to get hung up on the 75% number because thatґs aspirational, itґs not prescriptive. What itґs saying is higher recycling rates produce, in general, 10 to 20 times more jobs than combustion or landfilling with great benefits to the environment.”
James Regan, spokesman for Morristown, N.J.-based Covanta Energy Corp., operator of 44 waste-to-energy facilities around the world, said recycling and waste-to-energy can go hand-in-hand.
“Itґs not a fight between us and them,” Regan said. “Our facilities create jobs as well. For a new [WTE] facility, we create up to $1 billion of economic impact. We donґt compete with recycling; we compete with landfilling.”
Regan said Covanta agrees that recycling should be much higher in this country and the jobs that come along with it are a good thing.
“This is a point weґve been making for many years: Increasing Americaґs recycling rate along with decreasing the amount of waste placed in landfills will reduce greenhouse gases and create jobs,” Regan said.
The report was released by the NRDC, BlueGreen Alliance, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Service Employees International Union, Recycling Works! and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.
The report analyzed municipal solid waste (MSW), as well as construction and demolition debris (C&D).
In 2008, paper and cardboard, yard waste, food scraps, plastics and metals, made up about 77% of the nearly 250 million tons of MSW generated, according to the U.S. EPA. In addition to MSW, 178 million tons of C&D was generated in 2008 with about 30% of that debris recycled.
The 75% recycling rate can only be achieved through regulatory and lifestyle changes, the report said. Some of those changes include more pay-as-you-throw programs to give incentive to recycling and composting, mandatory recycling and composting laws, disposal bans on recyclables and a national bottle bill.
Source: Waste & Recycling News
By Shawn Wright