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Sustainable Financing for Municipal Recycling (SFMR)
Background
Municipal recycling programs serve as the backbone of sustainable materials management in the United States, delivering benefits such as job creation, conservation of resources and energy, and greenhouse gas reduction. These programs are increasingly constrained financially and rely primarily on local funding sources that are severely limited and subject to many competing demands.
Dialogue on Consumer Packaging
Packaging comprises nearly a third of the US municipal solid waste stream. Much of what municipal recycling systems collect is consumer packaging, such as bottles and cans, cartons and boxes. At the same time as municipal recycling programs are under increasing financial constraints the packaging that we are buying is increasingly complex and challenging to recycle. At the request of a number of states, in 2010 EPA convened a multi-stakeholder dialogue to explore options for a sustainable financing system for municipal recycling programs, focusing first on consumer packaging. The small stakeholder group included state and local government officials, representatives of the consumer packaged goods industry, and non-governmental environmental groups. The participants were tasked with producing a report that outlines multiple strategies for financing municipal recycling systems focused on consumer packaging.
This report is a result of an EPA-convened dialogue, and is a work product of the dialogue participants, and not EPA. The views expressed are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the EPA and should not be construed as implying EPA consent or endorsement. Reference to any specific company or commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the United States Government.
