Recycling Partnership Releases 2016 Annual Report

 How do you create impact? In its newly released 2016 Annual Report, U.S.-based nonprofit The Recycling Partnership asks and answers that very question. The report highlights real-time benefits of the transformative organization’s work, focusing on year-on-year growth, systems solutions across the supply chain, and the multiplier effect that intelligently-deployed new infrastructure delivers.

 “Day to day, we’re always looking forward, actively creating more opportunities for Americans to recycle, building sustainable improvements across our nation’s recycling industry,” said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership. “This report is a celebration of our impact to date, a marker of our explosive growth and tangible progress. Together with our funding partners and our colleagues across the supply chain, we are succeeding. Through partnership, we are doing things that individually we never thought possible.”
 
Key highlights from The Recycling Partnership’s 2016 Annual Report:
•      The organization has directly assisted more than 250 local communities, improving recycling for 19 million households.
•      Greenhouse gas savings from the Partnership’s work have grown from 43,000 metric tons two years ago to 164,200 metric tons today. 
•      Cumulative new tonnage of recyclables recovered as a result of the Partnership’s work has grown from 15,100 tons two years ago to 57,500 tons today.
•      The Partnership has placed almost 400,000 curbside recycling carts on the ground over the last three years.
•      Other notable metrics include cumulative savings of 382 million gallons of water and 2 trillion BTUs of energy saved annually.
•      In addition to community engagements, the Partnership has expanded to statewide work. This took form in Massachusetts, where the organization paired with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality and a number of local cities to fight contamination. 
 
Reaction to The Recycling Partnership’s 2016 Annual Report:
•   Megan Daum, Vice President of Sustainability, Can Manufacturing Institute and Board Chairman of The Recycling Partnership talked about the organization’s growth, “What once was a one-person operation has become a structured and robust, multi-pronged machine capable of committing to and completing more city work … allowing us to better meet our mission for More, Better recycling.”
•  Craig Cookson, Senior Director, Recycling & Energy Recovery, American Chemistry Council, highlighted that “The Partnership’s innovative approach delivers more feedstock for manufacturing that is hungry for recycled material.”
•  Per Sarah Dearman, Sustainable Packaging Program Director, Coca-Cola, “The Recycling Partnership transforms recycling, not just with funding, data, and knowledge, but the group itself is transformative.”
 
•  Derric Brown, Vice President of Sustainability for the Carton Council, shared the following insight: “Smart investment in recycling creates year over year growth that supports environmental, economic, and community goals.”
•  Steve Sikra, Technology Manager, P&G, noted that “Recycling is a major focus area for P&G and we value our relationship with The Recycling Partnership and support their signature approach of targeted grants and technical assistance to drive positive change for customers and the environment.”
•      According to Jennifer Silberman, Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President, Target, “We know that consumers believe recycling is important, and we are keen to help create more access and improve recycling efforts across communities for our guests. The Recycling Partnership is doing all the right things to build capacity at the local level, and we are happy to be partnering with such an engaged and successful organization.”

The Recycling Partnership (recyclingpartnership.org) is a national nonprofit transforming recycling in towns all across America. At The Recycling Partnership, we believe that recycling is fundamental to a healthy environment and economy. Every day, we work hand-in-hand with communities and companies, continuously innovating to improve recycling systems. Because when we do, jobs are created, our environment is protected, and communities thrive.