NERC in the News
New Study Highlights Career Pathways for Green Jobs
South Coast Today (New Bedford, MA); April 26, 2012
By Daniel Moon and Dan Costello
Daniel Moon is executive director of the Environmental Business Council of New England and Dan Costello is president of Costello Dismantling Co. in Middleboro.
Recycling businesses are an important part of our green economy and play a critical role helping the commonwealth achieve its 46 percent recycling rate. Massachusetts has over 2,000 recycling businesses that employ almost 14,000 people with an annual payroll of $500 million.
Recycling saves energy and natural resources, protects habitats, reduces pollution, saves communities money, and creates jobs involving a range of skill levels and education. The state's Department of Environmental Protection's Solid Waste Master Plan calls for significantly increased levels of recycling.
To learn more about the kinds of public- and private-sector jobs that help keep 5 million tons of recyclables out of landfills and incinerators in the commonwealth, the Environmental Business Council of New England, SkillWorks: Partners for a Productive Workforce, and MassRecycle joined forces to study job trends and labor needs in this important field.
The Northeast Recycling Council breaks down recycling industry activities into three main categories (supply, demand, and reuse or remanufacturing) and includes 26 sub-categories of positions at varied skill levels such as truck drivers, marketing and sales people, public-sector program operators, remanufacturers, and organic food and soil processors.
Our findings show that the recycling industry is growing in Massachusetts, with over 1,200 jobs expected to be added in the next two years by the private sector and a 5 percent increase in the public sector. Our research found that employers will need workers trained in specific technical and customer service skills in order to meet this demand. In addition to technical skills across the board, interpersonal communication skills, professional work ethic, attention to detail and problem solving skills were also needed.
Since the majority of recycling companies have 10 or fewer employees, EBC and MassRecycle will work to provide capacity to these companies and connect them to the public workforce development system for incumbent training and career pathways work.
A growing segment of the recycling industry is building dismantling and deconstruction. The reuse and re-sale of salvaged materials dramatically reduces the environmental impact of construction and minimizes waste sent to landfills. By removing old generators, conveyors, pumps, pipes and other machinery, a project can achieve 90 percent recycling of materials. Builders are then able to incorporate the residual value of that material into their projects, making pricing more competitive and increasing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design scores. Major manufacturers, chemical and pharmaceutical producers, utilities, developers, and municipalities are adopting these green demolition and rebuilding techniques and providing union jobs for laborers and heavy equipment operators at good wages.
Our employer experience has found, and the study confirmed, that many workers are deficient in basic arithmetic and applied math, and thus unable to figure out square footage, tonnage and rates of speed required on the job. There is a market for training in the recycling of deconstruction materials. Purdue University offers a minor in demolition to its construction management majors. We, along with the National Demolition Association, would like to see more training opportunities like this in Massachusetts and across the country.
Recycling is, and will continue to be, an important part of Massachusetts' green economy. Let's be entrepreneurial and innovative about creating good jobs in this growing industry.
