Center For Rural Pennsylvania Recycling Study Recommends Additional Resources To Support Rural Recycling, Fix Electronic Waste Recycling Program

The Center For Rural Pennsylvania released a report on Recycling Programs in Rural Pennsylvania with these key findings--

-- Local recycling programs are impacted by global markets and constraints;

-- Contamination of recyclable materials has decreased the value of materials collected;

-- Recycling programs rely on state funding to operate;

-- Recycling provides environmental and economic benefits to Pennsylvania; and

-- Declining recycling program revenues and rising recycling program costs are affecting the sustainability of recycling programs in Pennsylvania.

Among the recommendations made in the report are--

-- Make recycling a state priority and replenish the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s managed Recycling Fund, established by Act 101;

-- Restructure how funds may be used under Section 902 - Grants for Development and Implementation of Municipal Recycling Programs;

-- Provide financial resources needed to invest in educational campaigns and websites that promote recycling services, particularly in rural communities that are not mandated to provide recycling programs;

-- Provide incentives for the establishment and growth of local markets for recyclable materials by encouraging processors and end-users of Pennsylvania recyclables to locate and expand business in the state;

-- Address restrictions imposed by the Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) of 2010 and increase access to electronics recycling, particularly for rural residents; and

-- Address problems with offering consistent, unrestricted access to household hazardous waste recycling collection in rural locations.

Click Here for a copy of the report.

For more information and copies of other reports, visit the Center For Rural Pennsylvania  website.

[Posted: August 10, 2021]  PA Environment Digest