Facts about the Recycling & Reuse Industries

Recycling & Reuse Industry is a Significant Economic Player
Industry Valued at $35 Billion in Five States
with Employment Topping 100,000

From the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc.

January 2010

According to a recent five-state study sponsored by the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC):

Recycling & Re-Use Create Jobs: More than 100,000 people in Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania have recycling and reuse jobs.  Those jobs pay wages comparable to other manufacturing jobs in the region. 

Recycling & Re-Use Save Energy: Each year, recycling operations in the five states save the amount of energy needed to power almost two million households.

Recycling & Re-Use Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: At the same time, recycling operations in the five states avoid 6.4 million metric tons carbon equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to taking almost 3 million cars off the road

Recycling is more than bottles, cans, and newspapers: The recycling and reuse industry ranges from long-established sectors like paper and steel making, to new entrepreneurial ventures in composting, plastic and rubber product manufacturing, plus computer remanufacturing and wood reuse.  

Manufacturing with recycled materials, not mined materials, employs more workers closer to home: Businesses that use recycled raw materials do so in lieu of “virgin” products that are often mined and manufactured outside of the region.  As a result, recycling businesses create jobs closer to home and have a smaller environmental footprint than companies that rely on raw material extraction. 

The Source for the Facts: The Recycling Economic Information Study Update.  The Study was prepared by DSM Environmental Services, Inc. and MidAtlantic Solid Waste Consultants on behalf of the Northeast Recycling Council, Inc., a coalition of recycling and economic development officials representing ten Northeastern states.  Funding for the study was provided by recycling and economic development agencies in Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania.