Nov 10 - Study: Recycling Can Create a Million US Jobs

A coalition of environmental groups and labor unions has announced the upcoming release of a report on the green job potential of recycling and composting. The coalition (including the BlueGreen Alliance, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)) is set to released the report next Tuesday on America Recycles Day.

The report, titled "More Jobs, Less Pollution: Growing the Recycling Economy in the US," found that recycling 75% of the waste generated in the US by 2030 would create over 1.1 million more jobs than a "business as usual" scenario.

In addition to the jobs benefits of recycling 75% of our waste stream, the report found that keeping this material out of landfills and incinerators would reduce greenhouse gases equivalent to eliminating 72 coal-fired power plants or taking 50 million cars off the road.

The release of this data comes on the heels of Governor Brown's signature of AB 341 (Chesbro), which creates a 75% recycling target for the state.

Updated 11/15: Download a copy of the report.