The RecycleCT Foundation (RecycleCT) announces the publication of the Connecticut Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study, which documents the economic contributions of residential recycling in the state. The recycling industry creates local jobs, contributes to the state’s tax revenue and total economic output, while providing manufacturers with the raw material needed to make new products.
RecycleCT hired Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) to conduct a state-specific economic benefits study of the impact of residential blue bin recycling, bottle deposit container collection, and residentially-focused stewardship programs including electronics, mattresses, and paint recycling.
“Too many times we hear the myth that our recyclables are put in the trash,” said Frank M. Antonacci, Vice Chair of RecycleCT Board and the COO of USA Waste and Recycling. “The study illustrates why the state of Connecticut is perennially recognized as a top 10 state for recycling through the vibrant, resilient, and well established recycling industry that contributes greatly to Connecticut’s economy while ensuring recyclables are indeed recycled.”
Activity in the residential recycling sector included in the study was collection and hauling of recyclables by municipalities and the private sector, bottle redemption centers, municipal and private sector transfer stations, any facility that sorts, consolidates, or densifies recyclables, electronics and mattress dismantling, recyclers – such as plastic reclaimers – that convert material into final product or raw material for manufacturing, and supporting activities such as research, consulting, engineering and brokering.
The REI Study found that Connecticut’s residential recycling programs:
- Support 4,900 full-time jobs
- Generates $383M in annual labor income (e.g. wages and salaries, benefits and payroll taxes)
- Provides $642M in annual value added, the measure of the contribution this sector has on the state GDP
- $1.16M in total output or total production value of this sector
The total economic output of $1,159 million from residential recycling reflects the contributing components of the industry. Collecting materials represents approximately 22% of that total, with processing at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and bottle bill redemption collection almost equal – at 13% and 14%. End-markets, the companies that manufacture new products from recyclables, represent a significant contribution of 29%, even though Connecticut has few companies that use recycled material in their products. This demonstrates the economic importance of supporting manufacturers that use feedstock from our recycling system.
The residential recycling sector contributes 25% of Connecticut’s total economic output, placing this critical industry above construction of new multi-family residential structures and below truck transportation.
“I think this is a great first step towards understanding the impact these activities have on our economy,” said Diane Lauricella, a member of the RecycleCT Board and solid waste consultant in Norwalk. “It tells us that we will learn more when we measure the businesses engaged in reuse, or composting or other recycling activities beyond bottles and cans.”