Study links 757,000 jobs to recycling

The Environmental Protection Agency marked America Recycles Day, Nov. 15, with the release of an update to the national Recycling Economic Information Study, which found that recycling activities support 757,000 jobs and $36.6 billion in wages.

“Recycling is not only an asset to our environmental and social goals, but a boost to our economy,” Office of Land and Emergency Management Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus said. “America’s great strides toward prioritizing recycling are evident. We’ve educated our communities, citizens and businesses to recycle more, quadrupling our recycling rate since 1976 and creating a more sustainable world.”

The Recycling Economic Information Study highlights how recycling contributes to the nation’s economy in terms of jobs, wages and tax revenues. The recently released version of the study was based on the most recent census data and found that every 1,000 tons of recycled material generated 1.57 jobs. Additionally, recycling generated $6.7 billion in tax revenues.
 
In the United States, recycling has increased to 34 percent from 7 percent in 1976.