united states Why isn’t recycling counted as part of infrastructure

The City and County of Denver’s Solid Waste Division provides collection for household trash, recycling, compost and large items. Promote, enhance, or facilitate the development of resource recovery facilities, including those for recycling, composting, reuse, and energy recovery, as well as technologies for reducing waste generation. Emphasize source reduction through redesigning the manufacturer’s packaging of goods, setting standards for the recyclability of materials (e.g., single-use plastics), and addressing the true cost of waste by implementing deposits on bottles and fees on plastic bags. Encourage programs that educate on the reduction of food waste and the composting of what is generated.

Municipal solid waste (MSW), more commonly called trash or garbage, consists of everyday items that are used and then thrown away, such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food waste, newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries. Keep items out of the landfill by donating them to nonprofits, consigning or selling, or giving away. In Seattle, there is no additional cost for recycling service at residences.

The study assessed direct, indirect, and induced economic contributions of the recycling industry and manufacturers. The measurement includes residential, commercial, and industrial recycling that is reported by Indiana recyclers and follows the standard established by the U.S. Indiana’s recycling rate https://www.wisconsincentral.net/the-challenges-of-living-an-urban-life-in-wisconsin/ is calculated by estimating the MSW generated against the recyclable materials reported to IDEM. The study provides perspective for the current solid waste and recycling infrastructure in Indiana (with maps) that provide a visual representation of the location of recycling collection programs, organics processing, recycling processing, and solid waste disposal destinations. In addition, the report includes specific recommendations to improve statewide recycling to maximize its impact in the circular economy.

Links to Other Resources

GT Environmental was contracted to complete a comprehensive review and analysis of Indiana’s recycling https://master-your-business.com/how-can-you-reduce-business-expenses/ infrastructure and its economic impact. There is an additional charge for each additional black container with a maximum of four containers. Please use the Waste Wizard for help disposing of these items and more! Not sure how to properly dispose of something? Then, conveniently carry your recyclables out to your curbside bins.

• This confusion often leads to placing recyclables in the trash or throwing trash in the recycling bins.
• Indiana’s waste and recycling infrastructure for municipal solid waste (MSW) collected approximately 8.8 million tons in 2019 with 76% being disposed of in landfills, 5% diverted to waste-to-energy, and 19% diverted through recycling.
• If you would like more details on specific companies that recycle C&D materials, please refer to the resources below.
• Percentages are calculated by comparing the total tons of materials collected to the total tons recycled.
• To learn more about the innovative Shell Recycling Program, visit dep.nj.gov/njfw/fishing/marine/shell-recycling-program.
• These items are no longer permitted to be placed out for trash collection and/or included in your trash pickup.

See weight of materials collected by type for the past 5 years In 2025, Solid Waste & Recycling collected a total of 128,068 tons of material. HERC is a a waste-to-energy facility owned by Hennepin County in downtown Minneapolis.

• Approximately 69 million tons of MSW were recycled, 25 million tons were composted, and 35 million tons were combusted for energy recovery, which equates to 44.1% of this generated MSW being productively reused.
• If you have any additional questions, please reach out to the C&D council.
• Strengthen domestic markets for recycled materials in the U.S. by supporting companies looking to build domestic reprocessing plastic facilities and reuse plastics.
• Not all recyclable items are accepted for recycling in Palm Beach County’s dual-stream recycling program.
• Below are selected code provisions that have adopted this approach; also see the examples of solid waste collection contracts and solicitations later on this page.
• The measurement includes residential, commercial, and industrial recycling that is reported by Indiana recyclers and follows the standard established by the U.S.

Related Tools and Resources

A municipality can contract with a private waste hauler for collection and recycling services, including billing, while the municipality controls rates. Below are selected code provisions that have adopted this approach; also see the examples of solid waste collection contracts and solicitations later on this page. Many local governments in Washington require all individuals to sign up for solid waste collection. Moreover, the relevant statutes do not mandate that all residents and businesses have trash collected by any public or private hauler.

The following are lists of resources, material guides, and C&D end markets for Front Range Communities. Also, all jurisdictions’ source-separated organic solid waste collection services must include the year-round acceptance of food waste, either separate from or commingled with other organic materials. The purpose of the compost procurement requirements is to strengthen markets for the increasing amount of compost generated statewide by requiring local governments to plan for the use of compost in landscaping projects, construction and postconstruction soil amendments, and other projects.