How States Get Their Recycling Data

Connecticut	Delaware
Maine	Massachusetts
New Hampshire	New Jersey
New York	Pennsylvania
Rhode Island	Vermont

CONNECTICUT

Residential
Mandatory annual municipal recycling reports, completed by every municipality in the state. These data are supplemented by information derived from quarterly reports submitted by in-state recycling processing and organics composting facilities for marketed recycled commodities and residue generated. Bottle bill returns are NOT estimated or included.

Commercial
Commercial recycling data is derived primarily from annual municipal recycling reports and recycling processing facility reports. Municipalities get their information from recycling processing facilities and in some cases from haulers and commercial waste generators within their borders for inclusion in these reports. The state believes that a discernible fraction of commercial recycling escapes this reporting system, and that reported commercial recycling therefore represents a conservative estimate of total recycling activity in the state's commercial sector. Metals recovered pre-combustion from waste received at Connecticut resource recovery facilities (RRF's) are included in the commercial recycling tonnages. However, metals recovered from ash generated at the Connecticut RRF's is not included in the MSW recycling rate (since ash is not considered MSW). The state believes, however, that most commercially generated scrap metal is NOT captured in its reporting system.

DELAWARE

Residential
Most residential recyclables in Delaware are handled through a statewide dropoff recycling program or curbside collection program managed by the Delaware Solid Waste Authority. Tonnages are derived directly from state-generated data. Residential composting numbers are derived from reports generated by commercial recyclers who pick up and manage leaf and yard waste from the state’s largest municipalities.

Commercial
Commercial recycling entities are required to report the tonnages of recyclables they handle each year. Not all entities report this information, however, and to date the state has not attempted rigorously to enforce this reporting requirement. For this reason, the Delaware Solid Waste Authority believes that reported commercial recycling represents a conservative estimate of total recycling activity in the state’s commercial sector.

MAINE

Residential
Mandatory annual municipal recycling reports, completed by over 98% of municipalities in the state (representing about 99% of Maine's population). The state does NOT adjust reported recycling tonnages to account for non-reporting municipalities, however it does adjust generation tonnages to account for non-reporting municipalities.

Commercial
Biennial survey of recycled material processors and brokers, completed by a third party to address confidentiality concerns, and last completed for the year 2003. From total tonnages reported by these entities, Maine backs out municipally reported tonnages in order to estimate commercial sector recycling. The state also contacts firms who recycle without using a Maine broker or processor in order to estimate tonnages recycled but hauled directly from the state or to in-state end users.

MASSACHUSETTS

Annual Facility Reports: In Massachusetts, all landfills, combustion facilities, transfer stations and handling facilities must submit annual reports to DEP summarizing the type and quantity of waste managed. Data from the landfill and combustion facility reports provide information regarding total tonnage of waste disposed in Massachusetts. The reports also contain information on the import and export of waste.

Survey of Other States Data: In addition to using Annual Facility Reports, DEP gathers information on the import and export of solid waste across state lines by contacting other state solid waste management agencies and significant out-of-state facilities. DEP compares amounts from each of these sources to Massachusetts' data and the largest import/export amount is used.

Municipal Recycling Survey: Each year, DEP surveys all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth to determine the quantity of waste recycled through municipal recycling programs. Recyclables counted are generated by single-family homes and some multi-family residences. The survey also collects data on centralized (off-site) composting of leaf and yard waste that is used to determine the amount of residential composting taking place at municipal and commercial composting facilities.

Composting Facility Reports: Each year, DEP sends a composting survey to all municipal and commercial composting sites. This survey provides the total centralized composting tonnage. To derive a base commercial composting amount, the total amount of residential composting from the municipal recycling survey is subtracted from the total amount reported on the composting facility reports. 100,000 tons is added to the base commercial composting amount to account for farm composting which is not reported to DEP. This figure is an estimate from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR).

Survey of MSW Recycling Processors: Each year, DEP surveys all known recycling processors in the state. For known processors that do not respond, their reported tonnages from the previous years are adjusted for average increases or decreases in recycling and carried over. These survey results provide the total statewide MSW recycling tonnage. See below for an explanation of how residential and commercial recycling figures are calculated from this figure.

Survey of C&D Processors Survey: Each year, DEP surveys all known companies that process construction and demolition (C&D) debris for reuse. The companies are surveyed for information on the type and amount of material processed, and the results are used to estimate the C&D recycling rate. DEP attempts to contact all the processors that handle C&D waste. For quantities handled by known processors that do not respond, numbers from the last survey performed are adjusted for increases or decreases in recycling and carried forward.

Bottle Bill Tonnage: Bottle bill recycling results are credited toward the residential recycling rate. Container recovery (i.e., deposit redemption) rates are obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. DEP estimates the recycled tonnage using trade association data on both material composition (glass, aluminum, plastic, etc) of the beverage containers recovered and average unit weights for different container types. Composition percentages are adjusted based on information provided by deposit container collection companies to reflect the specific conditions in Massachusetts.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Residential
Voluntary annual municipal recycling reports, completed by municipalities representing approximately 95% of the state’s population.

Commercial
The state completed a comprehensive survey of all materials handled by in-state processors in 1995. Residential tonnages were backed out to avoid double counting, as were estimated tonnages of materials received and processed from out of state. The state also estimated and included tonnages recycled but hauled directly from the state (e.g., to processors in neighboring states) without handling by a New Hampshire processor.

NEW JERSEY

Residential
Mandatory annual municipal recycling reports, completed by every municipality in the state.

Commercial
All materials except metals: Mandatory annual municipal recycling reports. Haulers and commercial generators are required to report information to municipalities for inclusion in these reports. Nonetheless, the state believes that a discernible fraction of commercial recycling escapes this reporting system, and that reported commercial recycling therefore represents a conservative estimate of total recycling activity in the state’s commercial sector.
Metals: Metal recycling estimates are derived from reports by members of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) and the Auto and Metal Recycling Association.

NEW YORK

Residential
Recycling reports completed by 65 planning units (widely varying in size and jurisdictional composition). Reports are mandatory every other year, but are completed in all years by nearly every planning unit. Reported tonnages include some commercial recycling, but the state does not attempt to distinguish between residential and commercial recycling through the planning unit reports.

Commercial
Some commercial recycling is included in annual planning unit reports. Commercial tonnages cannot be distinguished from totals, however. For metals and paper, the state estimates additional commercial recycling through an analysis of trade association data (e.g., on material consumption by in-state mills for paper) and export data from New York’s international ports of entry for metals.

PENNSYLVANIA

Residential
Mandatory annual municipal recycling reports, completed by every municipality in the state. Municipal reports are reviewed and supplemented with additional information from county recycling coordinators.

Commercial
Commercial recycling data is derived primarily from annual municipal recycling reports. Municipalities request this information from commercial entities (haulers and commercial waste generators) within their borders for inclusion in these reports. Although municipally reported data is supplemented by information gathered by county recycling coordinators, the state nonetheless believes that a discernible fraction of commercial recycling escapes this reporting system, and that reported commercial recycling therefore represents a conservative estimate of total recycling activity in the state’s commercial sector.

RHODE ISLAND

Residential
Nearly all residential recyclables flow through a state-owned and operated material recovery facility (MRF).

Commercial
A relatively small proportion of commercial recycling tonnage is managed through the state-operated MRF. The state has implemented mandatory reporting of recycling activity for large employers (50 or more employees), but has only begun to attempt to use this reporting system to develop quantitative estimates of commercial sector recycling in Rhode Island.

VERMONT

Residential
In 2001 Vermont commissioned a comprehensive recycling analysis, capturing Vermont-generated tonnages handled by all in-state processors, tonnage that flowed to out-of-state brokers or end users without passing through a Vermont processor, and bottle bill redemptions. The analysis focused on total recycling tonnages, and did not distinguish between residential and commercial totals. The state has not attempted to update the 2001 data or derive recycling estimates for subsequent years on the basis of these data.

Commercial
2001 recycling analysis (see description in “Residential” column)