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Recycle Ann Arbor

Recycling Impacts Your Bottom Line

By Laura Biernat
June/July Issue, 2004

Everyone understands that recycling is good for the environment. It reduces the use of natural resources, saves valuable landfill space, conserves electricity, and helps to preserve the environment. But what many people fail to realize is that recycling also has a positive impact on the local and national economy.

The recycling industry consists of an integrated system of businesses that collect, process, and manufacture recycled commodities. The companies include a diverse network of public and private sector entities, ranging from recycle material haulers, metal scrap yards, and paper mills to plastic lumber manufacturers and waste electronic and electrical equipment demanufacturers.

Recycling not only creates jobs but also generates revenues and encourages capital investments that stimulate the economy. In Michigan, the processing of recyclable materials alone generates nearly $2 billion in revenue from the sale of recycled commodities per year, employing more than 5,000 people with a total annual payroll of over $137 million.

A 1995 recycling employment study conducted for the state of North Carolina found that recycling was a net job creator. For every 100 jobs created by recycling, only an estimated 13 were lost in solid waste collection and disposal and virgin material extraction within the state.

In a study conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) aimed at measuring the impact of collecting and remanufacturing old newsprint versus paying to have the waste landfilled, it was found that for a city of one million residents, a single mill processing 100,000 tons of old newsprint per year could contribute up to $57 million in annual gross revenues to the local tax base. The same material if landfilled would cost the city $4 million in disposal costs annually (assuming an average tipping fee of $40 per ton).

However, in order to fully realize the economic benefits involved with recycling, both residents and businesses need to make recycling a high priority. In Ann Arbor, nearly 90% of its residents utilize the curbside recycling program, making it one of the most successful curbside recycling programs in the nation. Unfortunately, this exceptional participation rate falls off dramatically when examining the commercial sector. With Washtenaw County businesses accounting for more than 65% of the waste stream, most of which consists of highly recyclable paper and cardboard, the time to act is now.

Recycle Ann Arbor recently launched RecycleWorks, its business recycling program aimed at increasing recycling participation among local businesses. RecycleWorks’ primary goal is to make recycling easy and affordable for businesses in order to increase participation. RecycleWorks offers businesses personal site evaluations, educational training materials and sessions, external recycling carts or dumpsters, and quarterly reports detailing recycling quantities.

You can help make a difference. Contact Recycle Ann Arbor about starting a recycling program in your company. Recycle Ann Arbor, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ecology Center, is a private nonprofit organization located at 2420 South Industrial Highway in Ann Arbor and can be reached at (734) 662-6288 or www.recycleannarbor.org/.

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