On the eve of America Recycles Day, a report prepared by an alliance of recycling advocates and labor unions claims that reaching a national recycling rate of 75 percent by 2030 would create nearly 1.5 million jobs and reduce
pollution.
pollution.
Entitled “More Jobs, Less Pollution: Growing the Recycling Economy in the U.S.,” the
report was prepared by the Tellus Institute for the BlueGreen Alliance,
Service Employees International Union, National Resources Defense Council, Teamsters, Recycling Works!, and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.
report was prepared by the Tellus Institute for the BlueGreen Alliance,
Service Employees International Union, National Resources Defense Council, Teamsters, Recycling Works!, and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.
The report’s findings will be the subject of a panel
discussion tomorrow at 3 p.m. with Senator Tom Carper of Delaware and Representative Frank
Pallone of New Jersey at the
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
discussion tomorrow at 3 p.m. with Senator Tom Carper of Delaware and Representative Frank
Pallone of New Jersey at the
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
Key report findings
Achieving a 75
percent diversion rate for municipal solid waste (MSW) and construction
and demolition debris (C&D) by 2030 will result in:
- A total of 2.3 million jobs: Almost twice as many
jobs as the projected 2030 Base Case Scenario, and about 2.7 times as
many jobs as exist in 2008. There would be a significant number of
additional indirect jobs associated with suppliers to this growing
sector, and additional induced jobs from the increased spending by the
new workers.
- Lower greenhouse gas emissions: The reduction of
almost 515 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (eMTCO2)
from diversion activities, an additional 276 million eMTCO2 than the
Base Case, equivalent to emissions from about 72 coal power plants or
taking 50 million cars off the road.
- Less pollution overall: Significant reductions in a range of conventional and toxic emissions that impact human and ecosystem health.
- Unquantified benefits of reducing ecological pressures
associated with use of non-renewable resources, conserving energy
throughout the materials economy, and generating economic resiliency
through stable, local employment.
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