Research to capture a national picture of kerbside recycling in the US is being undertaken by a partnership between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and national nonprofit The Recycling Partnership.
To accomplish the task the partners will examine 400 kerbside programs, gathering and analysing 17 markers for each.
The EPA said that work has already begun with early results expected in September this year and final analysis slated for October 2016.
“The breadth and depth of data this project will produce, coupled with the meaningful analysis of trends and potential areas of improvement, will allow the EPA to more effectively support communities through their transitions to sustainable materials management,” said Alan Farmer, EPA Region 4 division director.
“The potential for positive impact cannot be overstated, and our collaboration with The Recycling Partnership is shaping up to be fruitful indeed,” he added.
The research is planned to capture a national picture, with a special focus given to communities within EPA regions 3, 4, and 5. Select communities will include the most populated cities in each state, along with a number of other smaller communities to round out the geographic distribution.
“The secondary material stream begins with local programs, and there is a great deal of untapped potential there,” explained Cody Marshall, The Partnership’s technical assistance lead.
“Looking at snapshots of programs across the country will allow us to cross-reference best practices and pinpoint opportunities to increase recovery,” continued Marshall. “Those insights will in turn allow national and federal organisations to create targeted action plans.”
The EPA added that the partners will catalog information on 39 categories of recyclable materials, along with recycling collection frequencies, tonnages, funding mechanisms, service providers, and a host of other details.
The project will also analyse this data for trends and gaps in kerbside recycling infrastructure, and ultimately deliver a graphically rich summary report along with the full database.
Context
To add context and local colour to the report, the EPA said that the research will include highlight stories from a number of the communities involved. These stories will share insights into the current status of local recycling and forecast the potential to increase tonnage.
“We like to say that recycling is a loosely connected, highly dependent industry, and it will take meaningful engagement of all players to make the most of the system,” commented Karen Bandhauer, The Partnership’s project director. “It takes strong partnerships to deliver the tons needed to make tomorrow’s new consumer goods, and this initial engagement with the EPA fits the bill.”
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