You know it's good for the environment, but did you know that recycling benefits the U.S. economy?
According to the recently published U.S. Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study, the U.S. recycling and reuse industry supports more than 56,000 recycling and reuse establishments that gross over $236 billion in annual revenues and employ over 1.1 million people, with an annual payroll of nearly $37 billion.
The study shows that recycling is working across America, from the local cities and towns that collect household recyclables to the large scale businesses that manufacture state-of-the-art recycled-content products. EPA says the study "satisfies a long-standing need for economic data that measures the important economic contribution of recycling and reuse."
These new data also reinforce the well-established environmental benefits of recycling and reuse, such as cutting pollution, conserving natural resources, saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The landmark study was commissioned by EPA and a number of states through a cooperative agreement with the National Recycling Coalition. For more information, visit the EPA Jobs Through Recycling Web site at www.epa.gov/jtr.
edited by Sandy Smith