Ohio seeks to improve recycling data

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ohio’s local solid waste management districts are joining together on a statewide initiative to encourage commercial, retail and industrial businesses to submit their recycling data.

Each year, Ohio’s 52 local solid waste management districts survey businesses in their districts about the amounts and types of materials recycled. The data are reported to the Ohio EPA, which compiles the information to get a statewide picture of recycling activities, trends and opportunities.

The data help to determine how much material is being diverted from Ohio’s landfills, infrastructure needs and whether local solid waste management districts are meeting the state’s recycling goals. Greater participation in the surveys leads to more accurate data and a better understanding of what is happening locally and throughout the state, according to the partners.

Voluntary participation in the survey benefits businesses by connecting them with their local solid waste management districts, according to the partners. Solid waste districts offer services such as waste assessments, financial assistance through grants, employee education and other technical assistance.

“Recycling is important to Ohio’s environment and its economy,” Ohio EPA Director Craig Butler says. “The surveys help us know if we are meeting recycling goals and how we can better serve Ohio’s businesses and communities.”

Rob Brundrett of The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association says, “Industry is an enormous consumer of recycled materials, such as metals, glass, paper and plastics; thus, manufacturers are strong advocates for recycling systems in Ohio. Measuring and reporting recycling efforts is valuable for all of Ohio’s audiences.”

To help in the process, the Ohio EPA recently launched a collaborative website that includes contact information for each solid waste district in Ohio and access to the recycling survey. Recycling data from the previous year also are available.

The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete, the partners say. Hard copies of the surveys also may be mailed out by solid waste management districts. Participating either way—through the new website or by filling out a hard-copy of the survey mailed directly from a solid waste management district—will help Ohio’s solid waste management districts and Ohio EPA improve their understanding of recycling by businesses and identify where more help may be needed, the partners say.