New Report Says Boosting Recycling Could Create 1.5 Million Jobs

The BlueGreen Alliance, Washington, D.C., has released a report that claims that a national recycling rate of 75 percent would create nearly 1.5 million jobs, reduce pollution and improve public health, and generate strong local economies with stable employment bases.

The report is called “More Jobs, Less Pollution” and is available at www.bluegreenalliance.org/morejobslesspollution. The report was prepared by the Tellus Institute for the BlueGreen Alliance, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Teamsters, Recycling Works! and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).

According to the report, reaching a 75 percent national recycling rate would create nearly 1.5 million more jobs than in 2008. It also would reduce CO2 emissions by 276 million metric tons by 2030.

More information is available at www.bluegreenalliance.org/morejobslesspollution.