The Missouri state recycling program generated tens of thousands of dollars in revenue and saved the state hundreds of thousands in waste disposal fees, according to a recent report.
The Missouri Office of Administration submits the annual report to summarize recycling efforts across the state government and to highlight its accomplishments, in accordance with state law.
The state recycling program, administered by the Office of Administration, Division of General Services, works with the Missouri Interagency Recycling Committee to facilitate recycling and waste reduction for state workers.
During the fiscal year, state employees recycled 12.9 million pounds of materials, generating $83,326 in revenue for Missouri’s recycling fund and avoiding $716,065 in landfill fees, the report said. The collected materials included:
- 7.2 million pounds of metal.
- 2.5 million pounds of paper.
- 1.8 million pounds of tires.
Some collected items, such as tires, carpet, commingled materials, plastics, batteries and glass did not provide revenue, the report said. The state also spent $8.6 million on products made from recycled material.
The top three departments by recycling volumes were:
- Transportation: 7.3 million pounds.
- Natural Resources: 1.3 million pounds.
- Corrections: 778,000 pounds.
For fiscal 2025, the program’s goals include updating its website to provide training tools and helpful materials that support recycling and waste reduction at state facilities. The program also aims to conduct site visits to state buildings to offer hands-on help, share resources and recommend ways to improve recycling and waste management.
The program seeks to expand the types of materials collected at state facilities, including cardboard, electronics and plastics, and to help prevent contamination.
More than 2,100 state employees subscribe to the program’s monthly communications, with an average open rate of 55%. This is much higher than the median open rate of only 21% across all users within the state’s GovDelivery platform.
“This indicates we have a very engaged audience,” wrote Crystal Wessing, director of general services in the Office of Administration, in the report.
A version of this story appeared in Resource Recycling on Apr. 1.
