The Value of Recycling
Take Home Points • Recycling: – – – – – – – –
Creates jobs Is vital to the U.S. Economy Is a viable industry Reduces greenhouse gas emissions Conserves natural resources Conserves energy Is strongly supported in the Valley Is cost effective compared to other waste disposal methods
What we are tracking • Job creation • Revenue generation – this is a viable industry • Greenhouse gas emissions • Pollution reduction • Consumption of natural resources • Energy consumption • Local support • Cost effectiveness in relation to landfilling
Benefits • Global and Local • Economic and Non-Economic
Job Creation • Recycling creates jobs across commodities
Source: U.S. Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study
Job Creation • Recycling creates over four times as many jobs as the waste management industry.
Source: U.S. Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study
Job Creation • Recycling creates jobs that pay competitive salaries.
Source: U.S. Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study
Revenue Generation • Recycling is vital to the U.S. Economy – The recycling industry: • consists of approximately 56,000 establishments. • employs over 1.1 million people • generates an annual payroll of nearly $37 billion • grosses over $236 billion in annual revenues.
Revenue Generation • Recycling is vital to the U.S. Economy – Recycling creates direct significant economic activity
Source: U.S. Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study
Revenue Generation • Recycling is vital to the U.S. Economy – Recycling creates direct significant economic activity
Source: U.S. Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study
Revenue Generation • Recycling is vital to the U.S. Economy – Recycling creates direct significant economic activity
Source: U.S. Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study
Revenue Generation • Recycling is vital to the U.S. Economy – Recycling creates direct significant economic activity
Source: U.S. Recycling Economic Information (REI) Study
A Relevant and Viable Industry • In 2001, the U.S. produced more than 229 million tons of MSW – approximately 4.4 pounds of waste per person per day – up from 2.7 pounds per person per day in 1960. • In 2001, Recycling diverted 68 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators, up from 34 million tons in 1990.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions • Recycling reduces carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide by: – Decreasing the energy needed to make products from virgin materials. – Reducing emissions from landfills. – Slowing the harvest of trees.
Greenhouse Gases from Landfills
GHG
Source:http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/payt/tools/factfin.htm
Pollution Reduction • Recycling reduces the amount of pollution generated from using virgin materials to produce consumer goods. – The EPA has found that making paper from recycled materials results in: • 74% less air pollution • 35% less water pollution • Every ton of recycled paper keeps almost 60 pounds of pollutants out of the atmosphere that would have been produced if the paper had been manufactured from virgin resources. (Paper Stock Institute. 1990. “Why Recycle Paper?” Recycling Paper.)
Consumption of Natural Resources • Recycling conserves natural resources. – In 1987, the US used almost 1 billion barrels of oil to make plastic— enough to meet the nation’s imported oil demand for five months (San Diego County Office of Education 1991. RAYS — Recycle and You Save.) – Recycling one ton of writing paper saves 7,000 gallons of water. That’s equivalent to drinking 130 glasses every day for more than a year. (Newman, S. & Schwarz, M. 1993. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Recycle. Berkeley, CA: EarthWorks Press.)
Energy Consumption • Recycling conserves energy and reduces the need to extract and process ‘virgin’ raw materials to manufacture new products. – It takes 1,050 recycled milk jugs to make a 6-foot plastic park bench. (EarthWorks Group. 1990. The Recycler’s Handbook. Berkeley, CA: The EarthWorks Press.) – Recycling aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from its virgin source, bauxite.
Global vs. Local • The global effects of recycling are, in part, a result of our local actions. – – – – – –
Job creation Revenue generation Reducing greenhouse gas emissions Pollution reduction Lower consumption of natural resources Decreased energy consumption
Local Support (the facts) • ERC Recycling Survey – 700 surveys from Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley – Mid-December, 2002 to Mid-January, 2003
Local Support • How Important is Recycling?
10%
0% A nt
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ifr ee ze
rg an ic s
s
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ap er bo a
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20% O
30% ff ic
40%
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M ai l
50%
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60%
Ju n
70% er s. ..
80%
C ar db oa P rd ho ne bo ok s
N ew sp ap
Local Support
• Commodities Recycled Regularly 90%
Local Support • Encouraging More Recycling
Metric Tons of Carbon Equivalent (MTCE) – On average a person in Iowa produces about 3 MTCE per year from transportation and residential energy use. – If you add in industrial and commercial activity in the state, the number grows to 6.74 MTCE per person per year.
Source: University of Northern Iowa http://www.uni.edu/ceee/news/_Lesson%201%20Estimating%20and %20Reducing%20Your%20Carbon%20Footprint_.pdf
Local Greenhouse Gas Emissions • Recycling reduces carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. – Over the last 6 years, the Valley recycled 13,997 tons of material saving 5053 MTCE. – The equivalent to taking 4073 cars off the road
1000 0 -1000 -2000 -3000 -4000 -5000 -6000
49
MTCE
Recycling
Landfilling
Local Energy Consumption • Recycling conserves energy. – Over the last 6 years, the Valley recycled 13,997 tons of material saving 104 billion BTUs. – The equivalent of taking 1024 houses off the grid, or – Not combusting 729,456 gallons of crude oil.
20 0
3.44
-20 -40 -60 -80 -100 -120
BTU's Used (billions)
Recycling
Landfilling
Local Consumption of Natural Resources • Recycling conserves natural resources. – Last year recycling paper in the Wood River Valley saved over 5000 trees.
Cost effectiveness • Recycling makes $ense. – Should disposal options pay for themselves? • Landfilling? • Recycling?
• Let’s look at the numbers from the SISW annual reports, 1998 to the present…
Total Processing Cost Over the Past 6 Years. 12000000
$10,989,588
10000000 8000000
Recycling Landfilling
6000000 4000000 2000000 $48,901
0
Cost ($)
Average Annual Processing Cost $1,547,937
1600000 1400000 1200000 1000000
Recycling Landfilling
800000 600000 400000 200000
$6,986
0
Cost ($)
Average Processing Cost per Ton 60 $51.34 50 40
Recycling Landfilling
30 20 10
$3.49
0
Cost ($)
Benefits Recycling
vs
Landfilling
Jobs
For every 4 jobs created by recycling…
…1 job is created by landfilling.
Industry Value
$236 billion industry Average wage=32,500
Average wage=30,000
Natural Resource Conservation
Saved 5000 trees last year Saved 28,419 million BTU’s of energy last year
Would have saved 0 trees Would have used 908 million BTU’s of energy
SISW Cost
$3.49/ton
$51.34/ton
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Saved 5350 MTCE
Would have emitted 49 MTCE
Public Support
86% of locals think recycling is important
100% support trash; 4% support a landfill in their neighborhood
Take Home Points • Recycling: – Creates jobs – Connects the Wood River Valley to a vital part of the U.S. Economy – Is a viable, well established industry – Reduces greenhouse gas emissions – Conserves natural resources – Conserves energy – Is strongly supported in the Valley – Is cost effective compared to other waste disposal methods