PA Governor Reports Record Collection Levels for 04

Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell reported that 4.8 million tons of recyclables were recovered in 2004, a record level for the state.

The economic benefits of recycling are estimated at more than $113 million in materials collected and more than $259 million of avoided disposal costs, in addition to the substantial environmental gains from recycling.

The Commonwealth's recycling and reuse industry includes more than 3,200 establishments with total annual sales of $18.4 billion. The industry employs more than 81,000 people and has an annual payroll of $2.9 billion. The employment, payroll and sales numbers are more than any other state in the Northeast United States and are the second highest in the nation.

In addition, Pennsylvania's recycling and reuse industry has an indirect effect on the economy estimated at $1.8 billion, and a direct impact on the tax base, contributing $305 million each year.

"Across the commonwealth, people are recycling more at home, at work and even in public places," Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said. "Our partners in municipal governments are using innovative collection programs not only to diversify what they collect, but also to make their programs more efficient. The recycling and reuse industries are creating new and valuable uses for recyclable materials. Together, we are saving millions of tons of materials and using them to grow our economy."