CSMM releases Phase 2 findings of New York state recycling assessment

The Syracuse, New York-based Center for Sustainable Materials Management (CSMM) has unveiled Phase 2 findings of its needs assessment and gap analysis for New York’s recycling system.

Housed at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and in collaboration with Syracuse University, the CSMM’s mission is to lead New York to become the least resource consumptive and most circular state in the U.S.

In 2023, the CSMM first announced it would be partnering with Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) to lead the assessment.

Phase two findings can now be found in the report, Current Recycling Systems in NYS: Residential, Commercial and Facilities Analysis. Additional information also can be found in the report’s executive summary and planning unit summaries.

According to the CSMM, this marks the most comprehensive look at recycling infrastructure across the state to date.

Access to recycling services

Findings demonstrate that 97 percent of all households and 87 percent of multifamily households in New York have access to recycling services.

When excluding New York City, however, only 48 percent of multifamily households have access to recycling services.

Range of cost

The report found that residents of New York pay between $12-$16 per month (equal to $144-$192 annually) for recycling services—totaling upward of $788 million annually statewide.

Under-recycling of materials

The CSMM says that despite having programs in place to capture and process 76 percent of packaging and paper products in the state, only 30 percent of these materials are being recycled across New York.

The cumulative statewide recycling rate is estimated to be 15 percent.

Recycling education

The phase two findings also highlight that municipalities invest only $1.12 per household in recycling education—significantly below the recommended $10 per household.

The bigger picture

“This is the first time we’ve had a clear, data-driven picture of who has access to recycling services, what it costs and how local systems compare,” CSMM Executive Director Kathryn Walker says. “Recycling is critical infrastructure, just like roads or broadband. This report provides the tools and information local and state leaders need to improve recycling systems and meet our state’s climate and equity goals.”

New York State’s Solid Waste Management Plan, Building the Circular Economy, expands upon the state’s 2010 Beyond Waste Plan with a vision to reduce landfilling and combustion by 85 percent by 2050. Other plan priorities include realization of the circular economy, making “waste” a “concept of the past” and full implementation of climate change mitigation, among others.

The CSMM and RRS will jointly host a virtual webinar via Zoom on Dec. 9 from 10-11 a.m. Eastern to review the executive summary, section findings, planning unit profiles, provide a look at the next phase of the research and offer time for questions. To attend the webinar, register on Syracuse University’s website.