State Recycling Economic Information (REI) Efforts

In addition to the national REI study, numerous states assessed the economic impact of recycling and reuse in their state. A regional study was also conducted by the Northeast Recycling Council, providing detailed analyses for that region of the country.

Use the links below to review the state-specific results, as well as corresponding studies and outreach activities.

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s PDF page to learn more.

California Integrated Waste Management Board
California REI Study (PDF) (82 pp, 1.1MB)
The University of California at Berkeley’s The Economic Impact of Waste Disposal and Diversion in California

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US Environmental Protection Agency — Region 5 (includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin)
Letter from EPA Region 5 Administrator (PDF) (1 pg, 11K)

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Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Florida REI Study (PDF) (68 pp, 1.2MB)

Florida REI Results
Recycling and Reuse Establishments	3,683
Total Employees:	32,138
Annual Payroll:	$765,176,000
Annual Revenues:	$4,374,479,000

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Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Illinois REI Study (PDF) (124 pp, 1.6MB)
Illinois Press Release (PDF) (2 pp, 11K)

Illinois REI Results
Recycling and Reuse Establishments	2,412
Total Employees:	56,249
Annual Payroll:	$1,849,637
Annual Revenues:	$12,267,184

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Indiana Department of Commerce
Indiana REI Study
Indiana Fact Sheet (PDF) (8 pp, 476K)

Indiana REI Results
Recycling and Reuse Establishments	1,709
Total Employees:	74,970
Annual Payroll:	$3,086,333,000
Annual Revenues:	$18,908,934,000

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Recycle Iowa (an initiative of the Iowa Department of Economic Development)
Iowa REI Study (PDF) (121 pp, 426K)

Iowa REI Results
Recycling and Reuse Establishments	—
Total Employees:	26,781
Annual Payroll:	$906,926,888
Annual Revenues:	$3,630,669,572

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Michigan Recycling Coalition
Measuring Recycling

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Mid-American Council of Recycling Officials (MACRO)
REI Brochure (PDF) (2 pp, 2.3MB)
REI Presentation (PDF) (16 pp, 572K)
PSA #1: MP3 | Text
PSA #2: MP3| Text
These PSAs were developed for MACRO by Learfield Communications to promote the results of the REI project.

MP3 files must be played with an MP3 player, such as Windows Media Player, Winamp, and iTunes.

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Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance
Minnesota 2000 REI Study

Minnesota REI Results
Recycling and Reuse Establishments	—
Total Employees:	25,900
Annual Payroll:	$772,000,000
Annual Revenues:	$4,510,000,000

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Missouri Department of Natural Resources
REI Statistics

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Nebraska Department of Economic Development

Nebraska REI Results
Recycling and Reuse Establishments	417
Total Employees:	4,323
Annual Payroll:	$109,192,000
Annual Revenues:	$683,132,000

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Northeast Recycling Council (NERC)
(Supported by Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont)
NERC REI Study (PDF) (134 pp, 1.3MB)

Northeast REI Results
Recycling and Reuse Establishments	13,218
Total Employees	206,506
Annual Payroll	$6,820,225,000
Annual Revenues	$44,204,372,000

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Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ohio REI Study (PDF) (87 pp, 1MB)

Ohio REI Results
Recycling and Reuse Establishments	3,177
Total Employees	98,302
Annual Payroll	$3,602,743,000
Annual Revenues	$22,514,778,000

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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (through NERC)
Pennsylvania REI study

Pennsylvania REI Results
Recycling and Reuse Establishments	3,247
Total Employees:	81,322
Annual Payroll:	$2,886,264,000
Annual Revenues:	$18,398,776,000

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Wisconsin Department of Commerce
Wisconsin REI Study – To Be Determined

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State Recycling Economic Information (REI) Efforts

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