The goal of this two-phase project was to increase investment in the region's recycling industry by promoting the industry to the economic development and financial communities. In the first phase, NERC researched the economic benefits of the Northeast recycling industry. Conducted with technical consulting assistance by Roy F. Weston, Inc., the research was published in 1994 in a report entitled Value Added to Recyclable Material in the Northeast. Key findings were that the recycling industry employs more than 103,000 people and adds over $7 billion in value to the region's economy. NERC presented these findings to an audience of regional economic developers and financiers at a forum held in June 1994. Audience members then developed a list of opportunities and barriers to increasing investment in the recycling industry, and developed a prototype state-specific workshop for promoting recycling to economic developers and other financiers. Funding for Phase One was provided jointly by U.S. EPA, Headquarters and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.



In Phase Two of the project, NERC conducted a series of state recycling economic development workshops, based on the model developed in Phase One. The workshops were held in Massachusetts, Maine and New Jersey, with the goal of educating state economic developers and financiers on the state's recycling industry and to explore opportunities for state economic development programs to be applied to recycling businesses. A video on each state's recycling industry was prepared as a final product of the project, as well as the publication Guide to Conducting State Recycling Economic Finance Workshops. Also in Phase Two, NERC worked in partnership with the National Development Council (NDC) to develop a training curriculum for recycling economic development. The curriculum can be offered through arrangement with NDC. Phase Two was funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.

Market Opportunity Forums - Grant

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) had a goal of establishing recycling programs for undeliverable bulk business mail (UBBM) in all of their post offices, nationwide. The effort was complicated, however, by a lack of familiarity with UBBM within the paper industry, and by a lack of understanding of recovered paper markets by USPS. To help bridge this information gap, and to encourage the development of infrastructure to recycled both UBBM and other mixed grades of recovered paper, NERC co-sponsored a series of three Market Opportunity Forums in Fall 1996.



The Forums were conducted in partnership with USPS and U.S. EPA, with Roy F. Weston, Inc. providing technical consulting assistance. Each of the three forums brought together approximately 50–70 USPS staff, paper stock dealers, mill representatives and other market stakeholders involved in paper recycling in each area. The events were successful in assisting USPS with retaining and expanding recycling levels during a marked downturn in the market for mixed paper and enabled USPS facility managers to be more effective players in the recovered paper marketplace. USPS officials reported that increased knowledge of the processor and mill marketing preferences influenced them to be more flexible in their contracting for services. The forums also served to provide information to USPS officials on successfully operating stable recycling programs in a volatile and dynamic recovered paper marketplace. EPA funding for the Forums was provided through the Jobs Through Recycling Initiative.

Reports on Financial Transactions Supporting Recycling Businesses - Grant

Bankers, venture capitalists, economic developers and other financiers sometimes cite the lack of a financial track record as a reason for not financing recycling businesses. And yet, recycling businesses of all types have successfully secured financing from a wide variety of sources. To help address this critical information gap, NERC surveyed three types of recycling firms: paper stock dealers, plastics reclaimers and compost producers. The results of the 1995 surveys were documented in a series of three Reports on Financial Transactions Supporting Recycling Businesses, each of which provided an industry overview, addresses unique issues affecting the financing of the industry and documents specific financial transactions that have occurred within the industry. Funding for the project was provided by EPA New England.



The key NERC staff for this project was Mary Ann Remolador. For more information about NERC's current projects, contact Mariane Medeiros, Senior Project Manager.