New case study outlines blueprint for breaking 34 percent recycling rate in US

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Washington, and its partners have announced the release of the “Beyond 34 Case Study: The Development of a Recycling Public-Private Partnership.” This case study is part of the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s multistakeholder pilot project, Beyond 34: Recycling and Recovery for A New Economy. It evaluates efforts undertaken in the project’s pilot city, Orlando, Florida. The foundation says the project aims to increase the current 34 percent recycling rate in the U.S. by providing a scalable model for improving recycling and recovery rates. The goal of the project is to help communities, cities and businesses across the country create a more sustainable future. 

“This case study represents the significant steps the Orlando region is taking toward advancing the local area’s sustainability and economic growth,” says Marc DeCourcey, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.  “We will continue working with our partners to help improve recycling and recovery rates in the Orlando region. We hope that other areas will adopt the plan laid out in this case study to implement similar localized recycling and recovery projects nationwide.”

Beyond 34 was established in September 2017, when Orlando was selected as the pilot city location to launch the program. Since then, the U.S. Chamber Foundation says it has convened business leaders, recycling planners and key stakeholders in Orlando and the surrounding municipalities to collaborate around a sustainable system that would positively affect the local area’s recycling rate.

The Beyond 34 case study serves as a guide for other communities seeking to strengthen their economic competitiveness through recycling initiatives, the foundation says. The case study illustrates how the investment is making an impact, fostering ideas for how to address the recycling and recovery gap and providing insights on how to replicate such a project.

The Beyond 34 project is a private-public partnership between the U.S. Chamber Foundation; Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), Ann Arbor, Michigan; the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce; and the city of Orlando. The U.S. Chamber Foundation is working with leading brands, manufacturers, retailers, industrial service providers and other partners to tackle the recycling and recovery gap in the U.S. and accelerate recycling infrastructure development.

“The Orlando Chamber was thrilled to partner with the U.S. Chamber Foundation on the Beyond 34 project,” says John Davis, executive vice president of the Orlando Regional Chamber. “Orlando is excited to lead the charge to break the 34 percent recycling rate in the U.S., and we encourage other cities to use this case study to make an impact in their communities as well.”

According to the U.S. Chamber Foundation, RRS facilitated development of a recycling gap analysis for the Orlando region and its local stakeholders that keeps high-value recyclables out of landfills. The plan also identified greater economic reuse opportunities in material generated from commercial, industrial and residential sources. The full case study is available here

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation says it is dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness. It educates the public on the conditions necessary for businesses and communities to thrive, how business can affect communities and emerging issues and creative solutions that will shape the future.