Montana’s Recycling Program a Growth Industry

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has found that recycling is no longer just an environmental "feel good" movement; it is an industry with tremendous growth potential. A privately driven program without a state mandate, recycling has provided a significant economic benefit to the state. In 2003, the industry paid over nine million dollars in wages and benefits to approximately three hundred full-time and forty part-time employees. The average wage for full-time jobs was approximately $29,000 per year, which is several thousand dollars greater than the general average wage in Montana. Total gross revenues for the industry were almost ninety million dollars.

The environmental benefits of recycling included the following:

* Recycled and composted waste amounted to 176,571 tons, or fifteen percent of the total generated.

* Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced as a result of recycling, amounting to removing approximately 136,523 cars from the road per year.

* Net energy saved from recycling rather than disposal is equivalent to that used by approximately 70,000 households per year.

* Air emissions are reduced by 159,656 tons, including 149,599 tons of carbon dioxide.

A multiyear study of the recycling and reuse industry (the Recycling Economic Information project)found that the recycling industry contributes to the national manufacturing base with:

* More than 56,000 public and private sector facilities;

* 1.1 million jobs;

* $236 billion in gross, annual sales; and

* $37 billion in annual payroll.

Related Links:

* Montana DEQ Press Release http://www.deq.state.mt.us/press/pressDetail.asp?id=86

* The Recycling Economic Information Project http://www.nrc-recycle.org/resources/rei/reihome.htm

* State-specific Information from the National Recycling Economic Information Project http://www.epa.gov/jtr/econ/rei-rw/efforts.htm