ISRI releases recycling fact sheets

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. has released a series of fact sheets meant to serve as an easily accessible resource for policy makers, the media and the public on the environmental and economic benefits of scrap recycling.

The fact sheets provide information on the business of recycling various scrap metal, tires, plastics, e-scrap and fiber. The information included covers the recovery rates, energy saving and other environmental benefits, the size of each industry and more. They also include information of doing outreach with kids, the history of recycling and organizations involved in the industry.

For instance, the trade organization says in 2010, the United States recycled 9.2 billion pounds of plastic scrap – 5.3 billion pounds of which came from post-industrial sources. Additionally, ISRI says that last year, over $940 million worth of plastic scrap was exported, rather than reclaimed domestically.

"The scrap recycling industry is not only growing in size, but is continuing to play a more and more important role in job creation, helping level the U.S. trade balance, and strengthening the economy as a whole," said ISRI President Robin Wiener in a prepared statement. "Despite this, many misconceptions about the industry continue to linger. ISRI is a clearinghouse of information about our industry, our members and how what they do is having a positive impact in local communities and around the world."

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