How has the materials recovery industry progressed in its ongoing efforts to increase diversion?
To offer a portrait, Cascadia Consulting utilized data from the U.S. Census, the Washington state Office of Financial Management, and publicly available information from the state of California, the City of Seattle and King County, Wash.
The charts below indicate a drop in per person landfilled quantities of divertible materials on an annual basis.
Nonetheless, the fact that there are still quantities of recyclables and food/yard waste being landfilled points to an opportunity. Does that mean more education and outreach, improved practices, more aggressive policies, or a combination of those strategies?
This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.