New Report Ranks U.S. States Based on Recycling Performance; Finds Data, Policy and Infrastructure Investment Critical to Improve Recycling Rates
Recycling policies, such as a Deposit Return System (DRS), or "bottle bill," and investment in infrastructure, such as curbside collection, are crucial to effective recycling systems.
- Recycling policies, such as a Deposit Return System (DRS), or "bottle bill," and investment in infrastructure, such as curbside collection, are crucial to effective recycling systems.
- This study takes a bottom-up approach to estimating recycling rates, analyzing what is found in the waste stream based on published state and municipality data to estimate generation and recycling.
- Importantly, the report focuses on recycling rates based on the actual material reprocessed or "upcycled" into new products, rather than the collection rate, the more commonly used standard of measurement.
- 9 of the top 10 states with the highest recycling rates for PET bottles and aluminum cans are states with a DRS and curbside recycling infrastructure.